Fighting Destiny
by slitherinlove
Summary: I once was in love," Hermione said. "And?" her daughter asked. "I married your father instead," *Hermione's roller coaster of hate to love in her last year of hogwarts*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: And so the memories begin

"Mother please, let's go to Saint Mungos. The doctor said that if you had another lapse…" she paused. The women pulled a strand of red hair behind her ear with a shaky pale hand. She cautiously lifted her watery eyes to look up at her mother's serine face resting against the pillow of her bed.

"Rose. I have fought against destiny for too long." She said as she reached her fragile, wrinkled hand out to reach her daughters. Her daughter took it quickly and squeezed it gently. She let out a muffled laugh through her quivering lip.

"Ok…" she whispered. She sniffed back a tear and forced a smile to her face.

"Thank you Rose. I love you so much." Her aged face pulled into a well used smile. Rose let out another sob and nodded.

"I love you too mum." She whispered. She patted her mother's hand and rose from her chair.

"Is there anything I c-can do for you?" she said stretching her arm to the Kleenex box and dabbing her eyes. "Do you need a blanket?" she asked. Grabbing the blanket draped over the back of a chair by the window.

"A blanket will do fine."

Rose quickly unfolded the blanket and wrapped it around her mother. She took a seat in the chair again and looked up at her mother. Her mother's eyes were closed and a slow smile grew on her face.

"Mother? Are you alright?" Rose asked. Her mother's grin grew larger.

"Yes darling. Just thinking," she whispered. She opened her eyes and shifted her body to look at Rose. Rose watched as the light dancing in her mother's eyes dimmed.

"What were you thinking about?" Rose questioned. She closed her eyes again and took in a deep breath as the smile re appeared on her face.

"Rose have I ever told you about Hogwarts?" she said.

"Yes of course," she responded. "About you, and Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny and Dad,"

"yes." She said as her smile faded slightly. "Rose, would you mind if I told you another story?" She asked opening her eyes.

"Sure, what is it about?" She paused. Rose watched as the light in her mother's eyes danced again.

"Draco… Draco Malfoy,"

"It was September first, the first day of my final year of schooling and I was on the way to Platform 9 and 3/4…"

_ Finally it was the day. This summer had been too relaxed for my taste, and I was ready to go back to the place I thought of as my home. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I had missed Harry and Ronald so much, they were my best friends! I had gotten letters from them every so often, but it wasn't the same as being with them at Hogwarts. _

_ Harry had left the Dursley's and was staying at the Order against Dumbledore's orders. Harry always had a way of getting around doing what he was told. It's going to come back to bite him in the bum someday, if you ask me. But he has always been a rebel to the rules._

_ Ron was at the Burrow as usual. He has been practicing quidditch nonstop with his brothers. Boys and quidditch. I just don't understand it. He should be studying for his OWLS. But I suppose that's what makes Ron Ron. _

_ I pulled out my Hogwarts letter from my pocket. I had been awarded Head Girl this year. But it wasn't much of a surprise; I hadn't a doubt in my mind that I would get it. I scanned the letter quickly. I had to arrive approximately five minutes before boarding and report to the Heads Compartment. I wish that I could see Ron and Harry first, but I was already running behind on time, and I hate being late. Maybe one of them would be Head Boy? _

_ The cab came to a slow and I got out and grabbed my trunk. I pulled it behind me as I walked to the platform Barrier._

_ Until now the thought of who would be Head boy hadn't even confronted me. I was unfortunately sure that neither Ron nor Harry would get the position of Head boy. As much as I hated to admit it they were not very bright. It would probably be a Ravenclaw. They are the most intelligent wizarding house after all. I just hoped it would not be a Slytherin. I mentally laughed at the thought. A Slytherin as a Head Boy? I chuckled to myself. None of them were near bright enough. Well, there was an exception to their idiotic clan…. But he was a foul, git. And Dumbledore wouldn't ever in his right mind allow it. I ran through the barrier and boarded the train. I walked down the halls looking for the Heads compartment. At the end of the hall I finally reached a compartment with HEADS engraved into a gold plank on the door. I checked my watch to find I was on time perfectly. I smiled at my punctuality and opened the door. I gasped at what was waiting. Apparently Dumbledore was not in his right mind at all._

_"Malfoy?!" I screeched. _

A/N: okay guys yes? No? Do you guys like this beginning? I think that this story will be interesting but I want your guys' ideas and responses to my chapters. It's really important that you guys give me feedback though since this is the first chapter and all. It gives me a spree of inspiration too. So more reviews, more chapters!! ^_^

You guys have been awesome in my last books so please keep up the reviews and the love! Kisses!

So PLEASE give me advice, compliments, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism or praise. Thanks a ton and I will try to post fast. Finals are coming but I will work through it, because you guys rock J I want to edit more but I have to study for Spanish :'( no hablo en espanol.

Love always,

_ Slitherinlove 3 _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: It's On

"That was the first time I saw Draco Malfoy that year. And we did not hit it off very well…" The old women said with a chuckle.

_**_

_ "Jeeze Granger, calm down. We wouldn't want to give the golden girl a stroke now would we?" he said with a smirk. "… Or would we," He mocked. At that moment all I wanted to do was curse that foul, infamous, smirk off his face! I tried to ignore his arrogant self, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from his new features. _

_ Malfoy had finally grown up. Well physically at least. It was obvious he still lacked the mental capacity of a seventeen year old. He had grown to be nearly six foot and his body was toned drastically. For once I praise quidditch for making his body chiseled by the gods. He had finally given up that horrid habit of slicking his hair back. His hair now lay in loose strands draping over his haunting steel grey eyes. _

_"What are you looking at Granger?" he spat. "Keep your dirty mudblood eyes to yourself. I know I'm gorgeous, but no one of the likes of you have a chance." he scoffed. Wow. For I moment I actually thought he was good looking. How could I ever have thought that! I threw those unrealistic thoughts from my mind._

_"You are such a self centered git, Malfoy." I rolled my eyes and sat in the seat across from him. _

_ Luckily the ferret didn't say much for a while. So I took out Hogwarts A History and started reading my favorite chapter. I tried to keep my eyes focused on the book, but I had read it so many darn times I had it pretty much memorized! My eyes continued to wander towards Malfoy against my will. They have a mind of their own I tell you! Fortunately he was reading his Hogwarts letter so I don't think he noticed me. I looked back down at my book. _

_ A few minutes later out of the corner of my eye I saw what looked like a smile! A smile on Draco Malfoy's face! Ha! I must be crazy. Smirk was the only word in his vocabulary. It was tempting to look at him and see for myself, but I wouldn't dare give him the pleasure of catching me looking at him. _

_ Thankfully there was a knock on the compartment door, sparing me from eventually looking up at him in curiosity. But when I did his face was unreadable, and showed no sign of a smile. But what did I care. Everyone could smile. I convinced myself._

_ I snapped my eyes away from Malfoy and focused my attention on Professor Mcgonagle. _

_"Good afternoon Mrs. Granger, ." she said with a nod._

_"Good afternoon Professor," I said politely and put my book down. _

_"I am here to explain the head Duties for this year. As you know, being awarded the Head position is a privilege. And it can be taken away just as easily as it is given." She said in a stern voice, eyeing the both of us. "Your job is to make nightly rounds, hold prefect meetings, make positive changes for the school and most importantly be role models for the younger students. I expect you to be on your best behavior at all times, and to promote inner house unity." Ok how on earth did she expect us to promote inner house unity? I mean, Malfoy could barely complete a sentence without the word 'mudblood' thrown in. Professor Mcgonagle must be on the same marble track as Dumbledore. "I shall escort you to your combined head dormitories after dinner. Congratulations on your new position, and good day" She said and exited the compartment._

_ It took me a while before I realized what she had said. COMBINED HEADS DORMITORIES. I mean, I know that the head boy and girl had joint living quarters but… It's Malfoy for Merlin's sake! He will probably hex me in my sleep for all I know! Apparently Malfoy was thinking the exact same thing… _

_"Dumbledore must be crazy to have you in the same dormitory as me Granger." He jeered. "Better sleep with your wand under your pillow Granger," he said with an evil grin and an eyebrow raise. _

_"Honestly Malfoy stop being so immature. I don't like the situation just as much as you do, but there is nothing you can do about it. Unless you plan to resign?" I asked hopefully. Nothing would make my first day at Hogwarts happier. Malfoy snorted._

_"Like that'll happen. I wouldn't give my Head Dorm up for anything. How about you quit? He sneered. _

_"Yeah right. When centars fly." I said with a dry laugh. There was no way on earth I would give into Malfoy number one. And number one I heard the Heads dorms were supposed to be just fantastic. _

_"Well I can just make you…" he threatened. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the compartment seat. _

_"Are you threatening the head girl??" I said with a mock gasp. "Ten points from Slytherin."His smirk turned down and his brow furrowed in anger._

_"It's on Granger," he muttered. _

_"Totally on," I said with a smug smile. That'll show him not to mess with me. _

_ Finally Malfoy had shut up. The ten minute warning whistle blew so I grabbed my robes and left the compartment to change. I couldn't wait to see Harry and Ron it was only a few short minutes until I would be able to see them. Hopefully Malfoy wouldn't bother me anymore. I thought as I walked back to the compartment after changing. He was such a loath full, annoying, bigheaded, ferr- "WAM! _

_I slammed into something tremendously hard and fell back onto my bum against the force. Jeeze what the bloody hell was that! I got up rubbing my aching bum and went to observe what I had ran into. I soon realized that I had run into the glass compartment door. How the fuck did that get closed! The compartment door opened with a wave of Malfoy's wand. He started laughing profusely and I crossed my arms with a huff of anger. That idiot closed the door on me! _

_"Oops sorry," he muttered a mock apology through his laughter. I rolled my eyes and quickly hoped through the compartment door eyeing it suspiciously. _

_"You're so immature," I said grabbing my trunk. The Hogwarts Express came to a slow and I left the compartment quickly trying to tune out Malfoy's idiotic laughter. _

_ I exited the train first and walked to where the carriages were. I looked up at Hogwarts and took a deep breath. I was finally home. I wouldn't let Malfoy get to me. This was my last year at Hogwarts and I was going to enjoy it. I took a long look at beautiful Hogwarts and jumped into a carriage. _

A/N: OK DO YOU GUYS LIKE IT???? I am really excited about the upcoming chapters, so right now there's a little tension between Hermione and Draco. Do you like it? Ha-ha ok guys please review. Thanks a ton!

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Connor Garlander

"Mother, why did you and Draco fight so often?" Rose asked curiously.

"Well he was a Slytherin, Rose. And he was a death eater's son. He looked like he was going to fallow in his footsteps, and I was fighting for the other side. We were enemies from the moment I met him." The old lady said sadly. "Everyone was too caught up in the war to realize how easily people could be misunderstood."

"Oh…" Rose said quietly. "So what happened next?"

_ I jumped out of the carriage and pulled my trunk not far behind me. I fallowed the mob of confused first years, and returning students. I scanned the crowd as I walked until a fiery splotch of red caught my eye. I made my way through the crowd mumbling 'pardon me,' every once in a while. I had to set a good example after all. I was Head Girl. Sure enough after getting closer I saw another girl with fiery red hair, and a scruffy haired boy linked to her by the arm. _

_ "Ginny! Ronald! Harry!" I yelled over the crowd of voices. They turned around curiously. I dropped my trunk and ran to them as fast as I could. _

_ "Ginny!" I yelled as I ran and leaped into her embrace. I was so happy to see my lively best friend. I had missed her company so much!_

_ "Hi Hermione!" she said cheerfully. She took a step back to scope Hermione. "You look great Hermione!" she said happily. I didn't think that I had changed that much but by Ginny, Ron, and Harry's astound faces, I guess I had. _

_ "Hey Hermione!" Harry said pulling her into a friendly bear hug. Harry had grown so tall over the summer! I felt like I was hugging a less awkward Hagrid. I ran to Ron as well and gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek making him turn into a tomato. That boy turned redder than I did, it amazed me. _

_ "How were your summers?" I asked as I accioed my trunk, and we walked toward the castle. _

_ "It was great we stayed at the burrow most of the time and practiced quidditch." Ron said. _

_ "The team is going to be great this year. Slytherin better watch their backs!" Harry added enthusiastically. I grinned as Harry, Ron and Ginny started getting into an intense conversation about the upcoming quidditch season. It was just like old times. I acted like I knew what they were talking about as we made our way through the double oak doors of the Great Hall. Quidditch was the only thing that ceased to amaze me it seemed like. _

_ I looked down the long Gryffindor table quickly filling with exuberant students. I saw a few familiar faces like Lavender Brown, Neville Longbottom, and Dean Thomas. But no one looked the same. Everyone had grown up so much. And some for the better… I said scanning the seventh and sixth year boys. I took a seat next to a boy that looked like a sixth year. And Ginny sat on my other side with Harry and Ron across from us. The boy looked up as I sat down. Wait, is he checking me out? I thought as his eyes roamed down my body and back up to meet my eyes. He flashed me a charming smile and I smiled back. He turned to talk to his friend that sat down and Ginny tugged my arm. She leaned into my ear and whispered. _

_ "OHHH he's cute!" she squealed. Well I couldn't argue with that. He had shaggy brown hair, was very tan, and looked about 5'10. He had deep brown eyes and dimples on his cheeks that appeared when he formed a perfect smile. But he couldn't have checked me out. No. No guy has ever been interested in Hermione Jane Granger. It just wasn't my specialty. Luckily Dumbledore started the sorting of the first years so I tried to focused on that._

_ I clapped politely while students were titled as Gryffindor's and welcomed them to the house as the Head Girl should. I looked across the hall to check and make sure Malfoy was doing the same. But as I expected he was not. But what I hadn't expected is that he was staring at me. He scowled at me, and I turned around quickly. That's odd. I guess quidditch isn't the only thing that bewilders me; Malfoy fits that category quite nicely. _

_ After all of the first years were sorted, the food was served. I casually talked with Ron, Harry, and Ginny about our schedules. And I summarized my uneventful summer in muggle London. Ron, Harry and I had most of our classes together. Except they were taking Divination, which I despised._

_ After dinner was over, Dumbledore started his usual speech that he started off the term with. I tried to focus but my mind wandered to the boy next to me. Why would he check me out? I was so… so… so plain? I was so plain I couldn't even think of the word plain at first! There were so many gorgeous girls at this school like Ginny. Why me?_

_ "Hermione," Ginny whispered, nudging my rib. I snapped out of my trance to see Malfoy standing. I realized Dumbledore must have announced the Heads so I stood quickly. Malfoy was smirking at me. I swear to Merlin that boy has no other facial expression than that repulsive smirk. I hastily sat down as a flood of red swarmed my cheeks. _

_"So your name is Hermione Granger," I heard a deep voice next to me say. I turned around to meet the smiling boy._

_"Yeah…" I said at loss for words. Why was he talking to me? _

_"Well I'm Connor. Connor Garlander." He said extending his hand. I tried not to let my jaw drop. Why was he telling me his name? I mean I obviously know, but why me?!_

_"Hi Connor," I said after a few seconds. _

_"I best be going Hermione, but it was nice meeting you." He said with a charming smile. "I hope to see you around," he said getting up. I soon realized that everyone was getting up from the tables and exiting the Great Hall. Jeesh I was missing a lot today. Wait… H-he hoped to see m-me around?_

_"Yeah you too." I finally spat out as he walked away._

_I turned around to meet Ron and Harry's astound faces, and Ginny's devilish grin. I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came. I closed my mouth. _

_"Granger!" An annoyed voice yelled form across the Hall. Malfoy had an impatient look on his face accompanied my Professor Mcgonagle. I quickly ran over to them._

_"Sorry I'm late Professor," I apologized. _

_"Very well. I am going to escort you to your new dormitories," she said sternly, exiting the great Hall. _

A/N: Heyy! Ok so do you like the chapter? I stayed up late doing it so sorry if it's a little jumpy:] so I know you guys are probably like Connor Garlander? Who the F*** is that?? This is a Dramonie isn't it?? But stay calm. He has his own twist into the story:] keep reading Please review!!!

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Two Sinks and a Toilet

"I thought this story was about Draco Malfoy?" Rose asked. "Who is Connor Garlander?" Hermione smiled.

"It is about Draco. But Connor plays an important role." She coughed and closed her eyes. "Now back to the story," She said roughly.

_ I walked alongside Professor Mcgonagle while Malfoy lagged behind. We went up two flights of stairs until we finally came to a portrait._

_ The large portrait was an old man in a rocking chair. He looked as if he was sleeping except he was as still as dead. He was in a cob web filled room and everything was still except for the leisurely rocking of his chair. Great, we have a boring portrait. _

_ "The password is Destiny." Professor Mcgonagle said. What's with the password? Destiny? 'Common, usually it's something like Lemon drops, or licorice wands. "This is where I leave you. Enjoy your new dormitory." She said, and was gone._

_"Destiny," Malfoy said. "Mudbloods first," he said smugly gesturing to the open portrait. _

_"Yep mudbloods first, ferrets second," I said confidently walking through the door. I heard Draco growl behind me making me smile. Ahh I loved Moody. Well it wasn't really Moody, but it was still funny anyways. He will never live down the name Ferret, and there was no way I was going to let him, which pleased me to no end. _

_ Dear Merlin! This common room is gorgeous! To the left was what looked like a family room type of area. It has a large red couch and two green arm chairs on the side. With a fur rug in the middle under a glass coffee table. Across from the couch were a lit fireplace and the Slytherin and Gryffindor banners on each side. On the right side of the portrait entrance was an open doorway that led to a small kitchen. The kitchen had a stove top, a sink, a dish washer, and a large fridge. I curiously opened the fridge, to find it full of food, and a shelf that had a lengthy supply of potions. _

_ Stomach potions, flu potions, headache potions, sleep potions, and energy potions. Everything! _

_ This is when I love Dumbledore! I left the kitchen and moved back to the common room. Across from the doorway was a door with a staircase on each side winding upwards. I walked through the door in the center to find my dream come true. The large room had a slanted ceiling that was about two-three stories tall. The slanted wall on the left and right was covered to the top with books, and had a shelf scale on each side. The wall across from the doorway was pure glass. I walked up to touch it and looked down. I probably shouldn't have done that. I took a cautious step away. I felt like I was in the sky! It was a__** long**__ way down. In the center of the amazing room were two oversized armchairs and a long oak table. Perfect for studying. This room was BY FAR my favorite. I pulled myself away from the beautiful room to see what the stairs led to._

_ The marble stairs were enclosed by red walls which I guessed signified it as mine, and the other staircase was Malfoy' dimly lit staircase led to a single door. I opened it excitedly._

_ The room had red walls, and a king sized bed in the center. The ceiling was bewitched to show the beautiful starry night. On the right side of the room was a door. I opened it to find a walk in closet with all of my clothing put into an organized spot. Ginny will flip when she sees this. Across from the closet was another door. A bathroom, I guessed. _

_ The room was tiled in black and white and in the corner was a glass walk in shower that could fit the whole quidditch team. There was a massive tub in the middle that looked very tiny. This was unnormal for this extravagant room. So I stepped inside it, to find it had an expansion charm on it. I was now standing in the bottom of a pool. The pool was about thirty wands long, and fifteen wands tall. It was amazing! I went to the staircase and got out of the pool, so I stepped onto the tiled floor. Dumbledore was genius. I examined the rest of the amazing room, but something odd caught my eye. Two sinks? And then I saw a door on the other side of the room. No… way… _

_ "Malfoy couldn't possibly-"Speaking, of the devil the door swung open and in strut the devil himself. He examined the room as well. _

_"You have got to be kidding me," he spat. I didn't respond. I was in surprise just as much as he was. Dumbledore could create this entire amazing room but he couldn't put a wall in-between it??? No, this was one of his crazy plans to 'unite' the Head boy and girl. I don't think he realizes that it will probably start MW2 (magic war two)._

_"I am not sharing a bathroom with a mudblood," he spat at me. _

_"Well I'm not sharing a bathroom with a ferret! I don't want you to shed all over the space." I said crossing my arms. _

_"Then I advise that you quit," Malfoy threatened stepping closer. Was he trying to be intimidating? Because it was definitely not working. I held my ground, but looked at the floor. "While you still can," he said leaning in by my ear so I could feel his breath on my ear. My heart beat fluttered. Ok… maybe just a little intimidating. But there was no way I was going to show him that!_

_"W-Well it's not going to happen," I stuttered. I cursed my voice for betraying me. Malfoy laughed quietly._

_"Be on you're a game Granger, cause starting now I'm not going easy on you anymore," he whispered. With that he stepped away and left the room. Did he really think he could have that much control over me? And this was a game now? I always love a challenge, and this place was too amazing to give up. If he wants to play this game then I'm all in. _

_"Game on," I muttered through my teeth slamming the door and crawling into bed._

A/N: HEYY! Ok so today I got off school cause of a cold day. Yes I did just say a cold day. It's negative fourteen degrees here in Verona Wisconsin! Brr… So that's how I got this chapter up so fast. :]

Sorry that I spent so much time giving ya'll details about the rooms and not so much on Draco/Hermione, but I thought it was good for you guys to know how kick ass the rooms were because it's what Malfoy and Hermione are fighting over.

PLEASE REVIEW! You guys are doing great, but reviews are my push to update faster and it inspires me to write. Don't be afraid to throw in any ideas you have for future chapters, I might just use them:]

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Good Morning… Malfoy?!?

Beep

Beep

Beep

"Ugh I hate mornings," I groaned. I rolled over and flicked my wand at the clock, disabling the alarm.

7:30

I crawled out of my warm bed and tightened my robe. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and went to the bathroom door to take a long shower. Unfortunately my roommate was occupying the bathroom. There stood Draco freaking Malfoy, half naked in front of his sink. He had a mouth full of toothpaste and a brush against the inside of his cheek. My eyes drifted down his beautiful, bare, sexy chest-

Whoa whoa whoa. He is not sexy, whatsoever. What am I talking about? He is a git, and not at all attractive. Yes, not attractive. That's a good word.

"Like what you see Granger?" he asked spitting into the sink and putting down his brush. Of course he would notice me looking at him; it was his life goal to embarrass me.

"Sorry Malfoy, I don't go for ferrets," I said closing my robe from the cool draft. Malfoy cocked an eyebrow and looked me up and down. What is he looking at?

"Well the 'ferret' needs a shower. So get your dirty blood self out of here." He said making his way across the bathroom to a nearly a foot away from me. My stomach fluttered, but I silenced it immediately.

"No, I need to use the shower," I said sternly, holding my head high. "Get out," I hissed. He eyed the shower nearly ten feet away from us, as did I. Malfoy looked behind me, so I took that as my chance. I made a mad dash for the glass shower, but before I knew it Malfoy was standing in the doorway f the shower, his nose almost touching mine.

"Too slow," he said smugly crossing his arms and leaning back against the doorway. I glared at him. "Now unless you think you're going to join me," he said glancing down at my limp robe. I closed it firmly and shot daggers at him. "Then I advise you leave,"

"Like that will ever happen," I said disgusted. Merlin, that boy thinks he can get ANYTHING he wants, and that everyone is in love with him! Well he's in for a rude awakening. I stomped out of the bathroom and I slammed the door behind me.

Well there goes my relaxing shower idea. I heard the shower turn on in the bathroom. He is so stubborn. I huffed and walked to my closet. I pulled out a big brown sweater and a pair of oversized jeans. I changed and turned to look at myself in the mirror.

In my previous years I would look in the mirror and be unhappy with what I saw. I loathed my bushy, untamable hair, my beaver resembled teeth, and my un-girly like figure. But as I looked in the mirror I saw something different for a change. I had never really looked at myself lately. I tended to avoid mirrors as much as possible because of the effect my appearance had on me, but lately when I did accidently catch my reflection in the mirror, I started to recognize some changes.

The usual bush of a mass has overtime smoothed down. It now lay in soft curls going to my mid back. The color was a honey brown with dim streaks of other shades of browns. My hair was near the same shade as my eyes. I had never disliked the color of my eyes. The warm honey tint was actually pleasurable to me. Thankfully, I had grown into my buck teeth. I had perfectly proportioned white teeth. And last but not least, my figure. At age seventeen I realize that I have finally grown to my full potential. The stage of puberty was almost over. I gagged at the thought of the word. It was just one of those words that made you want to vomit at the thought of them. Anyways, I am around five foot six, and my body is slim and well proportioned to my liking. I turned in the mirror to admire my new curves.

I had never thought of myself as anything but plain, but maybe that has changed. I like how I look and I feel different, but maybe im not that different. I bet no one even noticed. I pulled at my gigantic sweater. Maybe it's because they can't see. I walked back to my closet and fished around for a tank top my mom had bought me two Christmases ago. I finally found it and put it on. It definitely showed my figure better. I looked at my jeans and used a shrinking spell to make them snugger. They weren't overly tight, but not baggy, which is good enough for now. I looked back in the mirror. I smiled at what I saw for once. I glanced at the clock by the bedside.

8:10

How long does it take to take a shower! I paced back and forth in my room by the door. I needed to brush my teeth and get ready for class. I have potions in twenty minutes! He needed to get out of the shower, and fast. Then a thought came, making me smirk. I grabbed my wand and flicked it at the bathroom door.

"AHHH COOOOOOOLD!" Malfoy screamed. I giggled to myself. Ahh, the cold water trick, perfect to get someone out of a shower pronto. The shower water shut off and the glass shower door slammed open. Malfoy's door slammed and there was a click from my bathroom door. I opened it and walked into the bathroom cheerfully. I brushed my teeth quickly and ran a comb through my hair. I left it down for a change and put on a light coat of mascara. I grabbed my school cloak from the closet and slipped it on over my clothes. I snatched my bag and ran down the stairs to the kitchen. I had missed breakfast because of Malfoy's damn shower, so I took a swig of the Appetite Potion and was out the portrait hole. I made my way quickly to the dungeon and made it to professor Snape's classroom right before the clock announced my tardiness.

The dungeon was full and I scanned the room for my two best friends. They were sitting at a table with the only open table in front of them. I quickly took one of the two open seats and waited for professor Snape to start his lesson.

"Hey Hermione we missed you at breakfast. Where were you?" Harry asked.

"Malfoy problems," I spat.

"Hermione of he gives you any trouble let us know. We'll fix him up," Ron said. It was always like Ron to be so protective of her. She smiled at the two of them.

"It's fine. I can handle him," I said. I turned back around as Snape entered the class. He flicked his wand and the lights weakened.

"There is no introduction to this class. We are not going to dawdle. Dawdling is for the weak. Your first assignment is to brew a Headache potion with a partner by the end of class. If you fallowed directions you should have a potions book with the recipe inside. Find the page and start immediately. Ingredients are at the front." He ordered. Well there is nothing like seeing jolly old' Snape first thing in the morning to give you a good kick start your day.

Everyone got up to find a partner. I turned around to see that obviously, Harry and Ron were partners. I scanned the class for a partner but everyone seemed to already have one. Then I noticed Gregory Galigols, the most disgusting kid ever, alone in the corner. I guess he was the only one without a partner. I groaned. I was about to make my way to y new partner when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Do you have a partner?" He said. My heart flew.

A/N: hey readers! Sorry about the wait on my update, I have been studying for finals. (Which I am totally going to Fail:[ ) I hope ya'll are doing better than me. Good luck!

SOOOOO who is her new partner?? Sorry about the cliffy. I will update by the end of the week I promise. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I always respond to them too:]

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6: Centaur Acid_

_ I turned around to see a dark, scruffy haired boy showing a dimpled smile. It was Connor! Oh thank Merlin. But what was he doing here?_

_"Do you have a partner?" he repeated, after I didn't answer._

_"N-no," I stuttered out, and my cheeks flooded red. Why did he have this effect on me? It's like I forgot how to talk._

_"Ok good, because I saw you making your way over to Gregory, and I thought I'd spare you the misery," he said with a chuckle. I guess he knew that Gregory was one of the worst smelling boys alive. He was my night in shinning armor. _

_"Thanks," I mumbled with a quick smile as I traced the tiles on the floor with my eyes._

_"So how about I get the supplies and you find a place to set up?" he asked. _

_"Sure," was all I said, I wanted to slap myself on my forehead. What was wrong with me? Every time he says something to me, I turn into a tomato. But why on earth would he want to be MY partner?? There were so many other people in this class. I turned around and saw Lavender Brown, Pavarti, Selina Orchin, Cecilia. There were so many other pretty girls in this room. He probably just wants to be my partner because I'm Head girl and I am smart. But even if that is the reason I still need to not get so jumpy when he talks to me. I should just act like its Harry or Ron I was talking to. I mean, they are guys and I talk to them just fine. The only difference is that they were Harry and Ron, and Connor Garlander was the most gorgeous guy to walk the planet! I mentally squealed in excitement. _

_"Hermione!" Ron whispered loudly. I turned around to see Harry mixing the potion to be an odd looking shade of brown, and Ron glaring at me. "What are you doing being partners with…with… with _him!_" he exclaimed. _

_"Oh calm down Ronald, what's got your wand in a knot?" I whispered harshly back at him. _

_"Nothing, its just you don't even know this guy," Ron whispered._

_"Ronald this is a POTIONS PROJECT! Im not bloody marrying him!" I whispered stridently. I saw Connor getting the last of the supplies. I left a fuming Ron and picked a table on the other side of the room, but unfortunately two tables in front of Malfoy. Jeeze, what had gotten into Ron? He was being a real pumpkin pastie squishier. _

_"Ok, so I have the book," Connor said putting down the supplies and pulling out the bulky Potions book from his bag. _

_"I have done this potion many times, the page is 337," I said by memory. I brewed hundreds of these potions for the Order's storage over the summer, so this would be a breeze. _

_"Actually I think the page was 338," he says hesitantly. "I've done this a few times myself," he said flipping through the book. So he thought he could catch _me _on a mistake? Now that was unlikely. I'm Hermione Jane Granger for Merlin's sake! I'm supposedly the brightest witch of our age!_

_"Yep, 338," he said turning the book for me to see. Sure enough the smooth calligraphy in the bottom right hand corner read 338. Damn… Well this doesn't prove anything. So he knew a page number, big deal. _

_"Oh my mistake." I say. "What do you use the potion for so often?" I ask. I mean, I use it for the Order, but what would he use it for __**that **__often? _

_"Well I used to go to the American Wizarding School last year, but then this year I moved back to London. My school used to sign me up as a volunteer at Saint Mungos, and I would make this potion a lot for them. I enjoyed it quite a bit; I plan on working there when my schooling is over." _

_"Oh that's cool. I want to be a doctor of some sort at- …another place than Saint Mungos." I said flashing a smile at him. I was going to say a Healer for the Order, but that was information I should probably not share with him. He was new to Hogwarts and all._

_"Oh, I thought you would want to be an Aurora." He stated, throwing in an onion root and the troll snot to the cauldron. I tried to not let my jaw drop. How did he already know about the Order? He has been here for like two days?! _

_"Sorry," he said. Why was he apologizing? He didn't do anything wrong. "I didn't mean to freak you out or anything about knowing you were in the Order. But it's kind of hard to not know about the 'golden girl.'" He said with a slight flush. "Everyone at my old school knew about the golden trio." He said catching my eyes. He smiled. _

_"You're famous," he said. I laughed. I don't think I was famous. Harry Potter is famous. I was just the girl behind the curtain that helped out my best friend in his time of need._

_"Kind of, "I said grabbing the Unicorn Horn and adding it. He started to mix the potion. It was almost done. _

_"So how did you hear about the Order?" I asked observing the purple potion. I threw in the Mandrake hairs. "My parents were in the Order when they were young," he said fixing his eyes on the potion. I watched his smile fade slightly. "But then we moved back to America where they were raised. They wanted to keep me away from the upcoming war." He said throwing in the Lynx bubble. _

_"Oh I didn't know there were any Garlanders in the Order before. Why did you come back to Hogwarts?" I asked. "Not that I mind or anything," I said flushing red. He laughed slightly. _

_"My parents left London because they locked up Mandevel Smalk." Connor said quietly. _

_"Who is Mandevel Smalk?" _

_"He was a mass murderer at the time; Voldemorts right hand man. But he escaped twenty years or so later for Azkaban during the mass breakout." He said. "This summer he came to America and murdered my parents," he said focusing on the potion. "I came to Hogwarts on Dumbledor's orders," he said._

_"Im so sorry. That's terrible," I said. He must feel so alone. _

_"Don't worry about it," he said with a shrug. I looked away. I shouldn't have brought up his parents. We worked in silence for a few minutes. _

_"Oops you forgot the Centaur Acid," I say, eager to escape the awkward silence. "I'll go get it from the front," I say leaving. I grab the small open tube of fizzing liquid. I start to read the fine print of the tube as I slowly walk back. I was on the last sentence._

**WARNING: BURNS THROUGH CLOTHING.**

_All of a sudden an elbow bumps the container and it spills. I look up to see a gleeful Malfoy an inch away._

_"My bad," he says sarcastically, just close enough I can feel his breath on my face. I look down to see the acid on the top of my yellow tank top._

_This can not be happening…_

A/N: ok so you kind of get to know more about Connor. But that darn Malfoy! What will Hermione ever do??? ^_^

Please review my peeps!

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Knight in Shining Armor

"Mother that's horrible!" Rose gasped. Hermione chuckled.

"Yes it was dear," she chuckled and let out a cough. She held her hand to her throat and took a sharp breath in. Rose watched her loved mother with pitying eyes.

"Draco Malfoy seems like a horrible person," Rose said.

"He was. Yes he was horrible. But people change Rose," the old women said stretching her limp arm to the water glass on the bedside table. She shakily brought it to her lips and took a short sip. Rose took the glass from her stressed hand and set it gently back down on the table. "Always give people a second chance," the old women hoarsely spoke.

"Everyone can change; it just matters when and why,"

****

_I looked down again to see my yellow tank top thinning. Now the entire potions class was watching in shock. This was by far the worst day of my life. _

_"You fucking git!" I screeched throwing myself at Malfoy. All I wanted to do was claw his eyes out! But a strong pair of arms grabbed me an inch before my fist met Malfoy's smug face. It was Connor. _

_"It's not worth it Hermione." He said pulling me out of the room. I struggled at first in hopes of giving Malfoy a full makeover, but I gave into his strong hold. Once we were out in the hall I looked down to see my shirt nearly gone. I groaned. _

_"Fucking bloody fuck," I murmured. Malfoy was a dead man. No he was beyond a dead man he was a tortured, beheaded, fugly dead ferret! Connor undid his school robe and draped it over my shoulders, securing it around me. Malfoy was in deep shit. After this he won't be able to walk again I'll, I'll…_

_The moment Connor and I met eyes my mind lost all trace of Malfoy. I looked back into his deep hazel eyes. They were just so gorgeous I could stare into them all day… He flashed me a smile and looked down breaking the eye contact. _

_"Malfoy's foul," Connor said fixing the coat on me seeing as it started to slip off from his much larger size. My stomach went to the circus the moment he touched me. He stepped away and stuck his hands in his pockets. _

_"Yeah. He sure does know how to ruin someone's day," I said. He sure knew how to annoy the shit out of someone, in better words. _

_"Thanks Connor," I said flashing him a smile. He really did help me. Otherwise I would have probably gotten my Heads privileges taken away for killing Malfoy and my shirt would be gone… neither was good. Wait… that's what Malfoy wanted. He wanted me to hit him. He wants me to hit him so I get my Head duties taken away! No way was that ever going to happen again, I could never lose control. _

_"No problem," Connor smiled. Once again my mind flushed Malfoy away and I focused on Connor. He had just saved me from possibly the worst day of my high school career. He was my knight in shining armor. _

_"That's the second time you saved me today," I said catching his stunning eyes. He laughed and grinned back. He was the nicest guy I have ever met. No one has ever done anything that nice for me. Even Harry or Ron. _

_ Just like they knew I was thinking about them, Ron burst into the hallway with Harry lagging behind him. _

_"What the bloody hell was that?!" Ron asked gesturing to the classroom. _

_"What do you mean what the bloody hell was that? Malfoy spilt Centaur Acid on me, and I had a-a clothing malfunction." I said blushing slightly. A clothing malfunction, great choice of words Hermione. _

_"Yeah I know we… saw," Harry said quietly behind Ron. Ron turned around and glared at him. What was Ron's problem? He was acting like a baboon with his head cut off._

_"And what's this?" he said lifting up Connor's baggy cloak._

_"It's Connor's cloak, he was nice enough to lend it to me," I said. How slow was he? I looked over at Connor who was nervously fidgeting at my side._

_"Oh well you can use mine," Ron said starting to take his off._

_"No Ronald I'm fine. Connors will do fine," I said looking at him oddly. He needs to stop flipping out so much. It is getting fairly annoying. Ron glowered at Connor. I glared at him back. _

_"Well we need to finish our potion," Harry said stepping in behind Ron. He shot me a look that seemed apologetic and pulled Ron behind him. After they were gone I turned back to Connor._

_"Sorry about Ron, I don't know what has gotten into him." I said. _

_"It's alright. So, do you want to finish the potion with me or go back to your dorm and change?" he asked. I walkedd past Connor and into the potions room. Snape was at his desk trying to ignore the previous incident. I scanned the room to see Malfoy in the middle of the room facing away from me snickering with his Slytherin clones. I glanced at the clock. We only had fifteen minutes or so. I wanted to change badly. Then a brilliant thought came to my mind. _

_"If you don't mind I'm going to go to dormitories, but I want to do something first," I said with a smirk. I marched up behind Malfoy and grabbed a handful of his trousers. With a hard tug his trousers fell to the ground revealing red heart boxers. _

_"What the-"he yelled whipping around and looking at his trousers on the ground._

_"Oops,"I scoffed. The entire class burst out in laughter. I blissfully walked out of the Potions room ignoring Snape's deduction of Gryffindor house points. It was worth it. _

A/N: Ok so Hermione got her little revenge... mwahaha. So you guys are probably thinking the Centaur Acid was totally random, but at school the other day I sat on Acid and there was a hole in my pants. So that's where I got the idea :]

I got the pantsed idea from a review from **AriesGirl40's **review. I DO take advice from reviews seriously so don't be afraid to leave an idea or opinion. Thanks a ton!

Love always,

Slitherinlove3


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Carius and Anya

A/N: Carius pronounced (car-e-us) Also; I loved all the reviews I have been getting! You guys are so awesome! ^_^ so I have a brilliant plan for the ending now. Mwahaha :] thanks to all your reviews it has given me a lot of push to come up with something that will be really good. So keep reviewing and thanks a ton! More updates coming soon!

"Wow mum, I didn't think of you as the revenge type of person." Hermione chuckled.

"This was just the beginning my dear,"

"Connor seemed like a nice boy." Rose said. "What happened to him?"

"You must let me finish my story," Hermione said shutting her eyes. Rose looked outside at the dark sky. It was nearly nine and she had promised her daughter she would be home in time to see her off to bed. She knew she had to go home, but she could not bring herself to leave her fragile mother.

"Mother?" Rose asked gently shaking her mother's shoulders. She listened and heard the women's faint snore. She watched her mother's peaceful eyes as her dreams engulfed her. It seems she had made the decision easy for her.

"Goodnight mother," she said getting up from her chair and kissing her mother on the forehead gently. She left the apartment and made her way back to her home.

On the drive home Rose thought of her mother's fragile, pale body. Hermione never shower any pain. She was so strong. Rose knew that the medication was failing, and so did Hermione. Somehow Hermione kept going on with her life like it was any other day. But there was nothing left to do for her. She couldn't help her mother; she couldn't take the pain away or switch places with her like she wished she could. Why was god so selfish to take her away from them? What did she ever do wrong? She was the most pure and honest witch she had known. Rose sniffed back a tear. Thought of her mother made her eyes swell with tears. If she could, she would do anything to take away her mother's cancer. She slammed her hand on the steering wheel as her tears slowly poured down her face. Cancer. Rose sobbed to herself. She couldn't let her mother go. She loved her too much. She had always been there for her; her first steps, her first words, her first day of muggle school, her first day of Hogwarts, graduation, her wedding, her daughter being born. She was always the thread in her blanket of life. And without her? She didn't know if she could hold herself together. Her tears stained her face as her makeup drained down her face. She pulled into her driveway and turned off the car.

Rose stared out of the car for what seemed like eternity. A light flicked on in the garage and Rose snapped out of her mind swarming with thoughts of her mother. She quickly wiped her eyes in the rear view mirror and sniffed back the rest of her tears. She got out of the car and went into her small cozy home.

"MOMMY!" a little voice squealed. A little girl clung to her leg. Rose looked down to see a freckled, red haired little girl hugging her leg with all her strength. "YOUR HOME!" she squealed again looking up and meeting her playful grey eyes. It was her daughter Anya. Anya was her heart and soul. She loved her with al her heart and would do anything for her. She had just turned seven this month, and Rose could not believe the years that had flown by. She bent down and kissed her daughter's tiny nose. Anya giggled.

"Can I see grandma tomorrow too?" she asked. Rose choked back a sob.

"N-no not tomorrow honey, but soon," Rose choked out. She prayed Anya would see her soon.

A man walked over to her and snaked his arms around her giving her a quick peck on the lips. "Hey love," he said.

"Why don't you go get your pajamas on and get ready for bed Anya, mommy and I will be up to tuck you in soon," he said sweetly. She nodded and ran up the stairs.

"How is she?" he asked stepping in front of her. His blonde hair was ruffled from running his fingers throuh i so many tmes. Hs worried eyes were covered with purple rings around them. Rose knew her husband Carius had slept as much as she had. Her mother's illness had taken a toll on the entire family. She remembered the first time she had introduced Carius to Hermione many years ago. She remembered the dancing flames in her mother's eyes as she first saw him. Ever since then they had became inseparable. Hermione had been overly fond of Carius and accepted him into the family right away. It surprised Rose, but she was grateful for it. But she couldn't be too surprised by Hermione loving Carius so much. He was the sweetest and gentlest person she had ever met. He came from a rich, but horrible childhood that he doesn't talk about often, and when he met Rose, he gave it up for her.

Rose shook her head. "She isn't doing well. She won't see any more Healers, even though there is little they can do but numb her." Carius's face dropped as did Rose's. He bit his lip and nodded.

"How much time?" he asked looking up at Rose. His stormy grey eyes welling with tears. Rose shook her head. She couldn't bring herself to answer. Carius understood and embraced her in a hug. Rose held him tightly and forced a smile on her face.

"Mommy!" she heard a little voice call from upstairs. She left her husband and went up the stairs to tuck Anya in, and say goodnight to her angel.

***

The rest of the night Rose lay awake in bed beside Carius. His eyes were closed, but she knew he was not sleeping. She could hear his slight sobs. She tried to focus less on her mother's upcoming d-… she couldn't bring herself to think the word. Instead, she focused on the story her mother was so anxious to tell her instead.

///

Morning.

Rose woke-up on Monday morning. She looked at the clock. That night she had gotten a total of three hours of sleep, and while she did sleep, horrifying nightmares of her mother plagued her.

"Hun, you're going to be late for work." Carius said coming out of the closet and tightening his tie.

"I'm not going today," she said yawning. She had thought about this many times last night and figured it was the best choice to be with her mother right now, the ministry could wait.

"Ok. I'll take Anya to school," Carius said getting grabbing his wand and heading towards the door. "Love you," he said kissing her on the lips on his way out.

A few minutes later Rose got out of bed and got dressed. She went downstairs and flicked her wand at the coffee machine. She desperately needed something to keep her awake as usual. Coffee had been her main food group for the last few weeks.

She accioed her cup and headed to the Hermione's house in the rural outskirts of London. She took out her key at the door and entered the chilly home. She went to the chilled bedroom and quietly opened the door. Her mother was sound asleep with that same goofy smile on her face as Rose had left her with. Rose smiled to herself. She closed the door softly gently and went to the kitchen. She cooked up a plate of eggs and went back to the room.

Rose watched her mother sleep for nearly an hour. She was entranced by how peaceful her mother was in her dreams. She pondered what she was dreaming about. Maybe dad or Connor Garlander? Then another thought came to her mind. Draco Malfoy? She saw her mother stir and sat up. Hermione slowly opened her eyes and turned to look at Rose. Her wrinkled face pulled into a smile.

"Good morning mum," Rose said.

"Good morning," she replied sweetly.

"I made you breakfast," Rose said getting up and pulling a table to Hermione's bed. She placed the eggs in front of her and went to open the curtains.

"That was very sweet of you. Thank you darling," Hermione said starting to eat. "So, have you come to hear more of the story?" Hermione questioned.

"No, I came to see my mother that I love very much and to do what she would like today," Rose said chuckling.

"Well I would like to tell you more of my story," Hermione said. "So, where was I?"

"You were going up to the Heads common room to change," Rose remembered with ease. All night she had replayed the story in her mind over and over.

"Oh yes," Hermione said. "Well…"

A/N: YAY! Now you guys know about Rose's family:] they might be a tincy wincy important ;) hint hint.

I hope you guys liked this part; it's different than the story usually is. It won't happen often but it will be in there a little. Tell me if you guys like this part please, id like the feedback. Thanks so much for the reviews too guys! It's what got me the good ideas and inspiration:] Review Review Review!

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Watching

_ I made my way to my dorm and threw on a new shirt. I placed Connors cloak back on my shoulders. He was so sweet to lend it to me. I heard the clock ring announcing the end of class. I had transfiguration next. I grabbed my books for class and threw them into my bag. I left the dormitory and headed to class._

_ After potions, it was just like any other first day of the term. I tried to pay attention to the rules and guidelines that every class lectured. Harry and Ron were in all of my classes except for Astronomy. Every class I anxiously watched the students filing in, in hopes of seeing Connor among them. But unfortunately he had been in none of my morning classes excluding Potions. Why am I searching for Connor so franticly? It's not like we have anything going on. But you want something to be going on. The other side of my brain fought back. No. I just needed to return his coat. I smiled to myself for triumphing over my conscious. I couldn't help to notice that Malfoy was in every class I was in so far today. I tried my best to ignore him. _

_ During Arithmacy class I started to get the feeling that someone was watching me. My curiosity got the better of me at the end of class. I decided to turn around quickly to see who was behind me. Ron, Malfoy, lavender, and Pavarti were the only ones. None of which were looking back at me. I shook off the odd feeling and went to transfiguration class. But soon into class I felt the same feeling. Someone was watching me and I was sure of it. I felt so distracted by the feeling. I finally decided this was enough. I turned around. I was not expecting to meet a pair of stormy grey eyes oozing into mine. I quickly looked away as my stomach fluttered. That was a stupid idea._

_ Finally it was the end of classes for the morning. At lunch I sat across from Harry and Ron. Ron was stuffing his face and mumbling something about quidditch practice tonight. I acted like I was listening as I picked at my food. My eyes started to wander. They drifted to the opposite end of the great hall to the Slytherin table. I noticed Malfoy talking to a few other Slytherin seventh years. I watched him talk with full confidence. His chin high, his grey eyes urgent, and not one of his platinum blonde hairs out of line. While I watched him he caught my eyes and turned to look at me. He did something completely unexpected; he winked at me. Then he turned back to talking with the Slytherins like nothing happened. I shook off the odd gesture and turned back around to the Gryffindor table. _

_ My eyes scanned the long table until I found a familiar face. I saw Connor talking with Dean and Seamus. He saw me looking at him and flickered a charming smile. A red blush crept up my cheeks as he noticed me watching him. He nodded his head to the exit of the Great hall. I checked the clock to see there was only a few minutes till lunch ended anyways, so I nodded to him. He excused himself from lunch and sent left the hall. A few seconds later I got up as well. _

_ "Hermione where are you going?" Ron spat out through a mouthful of chicken. I wanted to gag. He really needed to learn manners._

_"Oh, I just left some stuff in the library I need to pick up." I lied. I don't know why I lied to Ron. Why would he care if I was going to talk with Connor? There was nothing wrong with talking with someone of the male gender. :P_

_ Ron being his completely gullible and unobservant self nodded and continued to eat. Harry on the other hand raised his eyebrows at me. I shrugged and got up from the table. I took a last glance at the Slytherin table to see Malfoy scowling at me. I ignored him and left the Great Hall. _

_ The hall was completely deserted. Where was Connor? I don't even know what I was supposed to see when I came out here. Who was I waiting for? What was I even doing?! _

_ "Hey," a sweet voice said behind me. I felt his breath on the back of my neck. I got goose bumps and held back a shiver. _

_"Hey," I breathed out, turning around._

_"I think you have something of mine," he said eyeing the cloak. _

_"Oh yeah," I said blushing. I took off the cloak to reveal a purple tank top._

_"Thanks," he said taking the jacket back._

_"I wanted to thank you again for lending it to me. It was really, really sweet of you."_

_"Yeah no problem," he smiled. He put his hands in his pockets. "So the reason I wanted to talk to you was-" _

_"Granger there you are!" a sharp voice boomed from across the corridor. We broke eyes to see my least favorite person walking towards me. I cursed to myself. What was Connor going to say!? I glared at him as he walked up. _

_"What do YOU want," I seethed._

_"What time is the prefect meeting tonight?" He asked putting his arm on my shoulder. I glared at him. _

_"Its tomorrow," I fumed and shrugged off his arm. Malfoy has horrible timing. _

_"Oh you're right," he mocked. "My bad," he said smugly. "I'll see ya around Granger," he said giving me a once over and walking down the hall. I shot dagger at him and tightened my hands into fists, as my nails dug into my hand. ..Him. _

_"Sorry about him. He's such a toad," I said calming down and turning back to Connor. He was glaring at Malfoy just as I was. "So what were you saying?" I asked hopeful. He opened his mouth to say something but then the bell rang and students flooded into the halls. _

_"I'll tell you later," he said over the ocean of voices. _

_"Ok!" I yelled over the students, straining to get another look at him as he walked away. I groaned in defeat. MALFOY... I was fuming. He did that on purpose. What was Connor going to say?! I stomped my way to my next class._

_* *_

_ After Care of Magical Creatures class I had a rest hour. I went up to my room and started a paper that Professor Sprout had assigned for next week. I went to my library and took a seat in the giant chair across from the glass wall. I took out the text book and started to read. After a few sentenced my mind started to wander away. Stormy grey eyes were now the main feature of my mind. They were so entrancing- I shook my head abruptly. I could not be thinking about Malfoy. I started at the beginning of my book again and read. After a page he started to seep back into my mind. He was just so gorgeous… I got up and slammed my book shut. I took in a deep breath and set down my book gently. I walked up to the window and looked out. It was a clear sky and the sun was starting to dip. I saw the black lake and a willow tree next to it. Under the tree was a couple sitting on a blanket with a picnic basket. I sighed. I wondered what it would be like to be the girl down there. I watched as she snuggled into the boys embrace. I smiled. I imagined myself down there in Connors arms. He was sweet, handsome, brilliant, loving, and caring. He would be any girl's ideal boyfriend._

_"What are you thinking about Granger?" a voice said. I quickly turned around. Malfoy was leaning against the open doorway. "About your lovey dovey Connor? He looks like a lovesick puppy," Malfoy said pushing off the edge of the doorframe. I almost took that as a compliment. _

_ "Shut up Malfoy. What's it to you anyways? It was none of his business. _

_"I just don't understand what he saw in you before," he smirked._

_"Before?" I asked. He wasn't making any sense. _

_"Yeah, before him and the rest of the potions class got a good look at you," he said, leaning forward and looking down my tank top. I glared at him stepping back, he fallowed. _

_"You disgusting ferret," I spat._

_"You should be thanking me, Granger." He smugly stated. "Now all of the male population of Hogwarts is talking about Potions class," he smirked. "You got a nice rack, I can't blame them," he said stepping closer. My jaw fell. I crossed my arms across my chest and glowered at him. _

_"Ready to quit yet?" he whispered edging closer._

_"." _

_"It'll only get worse Granger," he smirked and walked out of the library. Malfoy was pure evil. _

_"WHAT THE-!"_

A/N: So today the same thing happened to me as Hermione when she was talking to Connor, and Malfoy showed up. That's where I got the inspiration:]

Sorry for the semi- long wait for an update. I started using Photoshop 7 and becoming an artist on TDA last month, and I've been messing around with that a lot. So I have been on TDA a lot, but I'm trying to split up my time on TDA and HPFF evenly.

If you guys want a banner, chapter image, or penname card for your author's page, leave a review with your e-mail or just e-mail me at . I'll be happy to do anything:] I hope you guys liked the chapter and please review. I love reviews! ^_^ teehee

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: What's So Wrong with Revenge?

_ Malfoy was so unreadable! I was staring at him from across the hall during dinner. I watched him talk with his friends, never showing a flicker of emotion. I hate him. I hate everything about him. He needed to quit. If he was going to play dirty like that than so was I. _

_"Hermionewhatareyoulookingat," Ron mumbled through a mouthful of pumpkin pasties. _

_"Nothing," I quickly said, turning my attention to Ron and Harry. _

_"What class do you have next?" Harry asked sipping his pumpkin juice._

_"I have divination."I groaned. Divination was a worthless class. It was all a load of toad strudel. I just signed up for the lass so I could fill my schedule. "Then tonight I have Astronomy," I said. I loved astronomy, it was so fascinating. _

_"Oh. Ron and I have transfiguration, "harry said looking glum. _

_"Well I'll see you two around," I said getting up from the table as the other students started to leave as well. _

_ I quickly made my way through the halls to get to divination, which was on the top floor. I made it just in time, and out of breath. I took a seat in front of an empty glass ball and pulled out my books. I scanned the room. Neither Connor nor…. Malfoy were in my class. Why did I care if Malfoy was in my class? That low life piece of Hippogriff dung. I still can't believe he did that to me in Potions class. He deserved a smack in the face. I thought back to third year and smiled. That was the best day of my life. He needs to resign from Heads ._

_ Professor Trelawney came into the room, announcing it was the beginning of class. I tried to shut off my mind and focus on the completely meaningless lesson, but all I could think about was Malfoy. I wanted revenge. And what was so wrong with a little revenge? He did something horrid to me, so why couldn't I do something back? Merlin knows he has been vile to me over the years, so what was wrong with a little pay back? Yes, nothing was wrong with it. And it was only a little. Just a tincey wincey. _

_ Now that I was convinced revenge was the right thing to do, I had to make up a plan. What did Malfoy value most…? Ha. That was a silly question. Everyone knew what he valued. Money, his looks, and most of all his reputation. Money; I couldn't steal form him obviously. So that one was out of the picture for now. Reputation; that would come in time. Looks; that was by far the easiest thing to change about him. He cherished his quidditch body, his pale creamy skin, his stormy grey eyes, Oh that fugly smirk, and most of all his golden Malfoy locks. A light bulb turned on in my mind as I reminded myself of his traits. I will need Harry's cloak tonight. I need to make a quick stop at Hogsmade. I smirked at the evil plan forming in my mind. _

_***_

_ After that bore of a class, I had an hour before Astronomy class. I hoped Harry and Ron would be in the Gryffindor common room._

_  
__"Licorice wand," I said. I walked through the portrait to see many familiar faces in the common room. I had not been in this room since last year. _

_"Oy! Its -ermione!" said a strong Irish accent. I turned around to see a smiling Seamus and Dean. "It's nice to see you around –ere." He said giving me a hug. _

_"Yeah I have been really busy in the Heads dorm," I said, a little surprised by his hug. I missed seeing him and Dean and the rest of the Gryffindors. _

_"Have you seen Harry around?" I ask. _

_"Yeah -e's upstairs. Should I bring -im down for ya?" he asked. _

_"Yeah that would be great. Thanks Seamus," I said giving him a smile. He nodded and went up to the boy's dormitory. Soon Harry came down. _

_"Hey Hermione what's up?" he asked. _

_"I was wondering if you could do me a favor." I gestured him closer. "Can I barrow your dad's cloak?" I whisper. He snapped his head back in surprise. _

_"Yeah sure. But what for?" he asked suspiciously. _

_"Oh I just need to go to Hogsmade, but I don't want to get caught being off the grounds." I say, hoping he didn't ask me what I needed from Hogsmade. Harry and Ron didn't need to know about the Malfoy problem, things would only get worse. _

_"Alright, I'll be right back," he said going up the stairs. I breathed out in relief. He came back with the cloak and handed it to me. _

_"Be careful," he warned. I nodded and left the common room. _

_ I went out of the common room to the nearly empty hall. I needed a place to put this cloak on with no one seeing. I saw a broom closet and ran to it. I whipped the door open and was about to step in. _

_"AHH!" I yell closing the door quickly. There were two fifth years snogging their faces off in the broom closet! I shake my head to try and get that visual out of my mind. I straiten myself out and knock on the door. Slowly, two fifth year Hufflepuffs pop their heads out, their eyes wide._

_"Uh, twenty points from Hufflepuff for uh… Public display of affection. "I say closing the door quickly. Hey, I had to do my Heads duty. Now let's just forget I even saw that. I say to myself. Then I remember my mission. I have to get the cloak on and go to Hogsmade before Astronomy class! I run to an empty classroom and make sure no snogging students are around. I flip the coat on, and see myself disappear. This cloak was so cool. _

_I leave the room and head out on my mission…_

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the three day wait on a post, but I have been in Minnesota for volleyball, and this weekend I will be in Nebraska, so I will be a little behind. But I promise I will write in the nine hour car ride there: /

Ok, I have a nice list of things Hermione should do to Draco. But if you have any leave me a review. Like I said before, I take reviews very seriously, and I use most of them. :] thanks for reviewing guys!

Review por favor!

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Safe Wizarding Sex

_ After my trip to hogsmade I had a large bag under my cloak. I was on such a rush. I never knew that breaking the rules could be so much fun! I snuck through the halls and to the common room to drop off my bag on the way to return Harry's cloak. But as I was about to leave the common room I heard something. _

_ I looked over to the couch to see Malfoy. And Pansy Parkinson under him. I felt like vomiting. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. Pansy Parkinson was the most disgusting pig to walk the earth. Why was he with her? But that drop of jealously quickly faded and was replaced by anger. I went to the library still enclosed by Harry's cloak. I took a piece of parchment from the desk and wrote in ink._

_**Dear Mr. Draco Malfoy,**_

_** This is the STD board at Safe Wizarding Sex. We would like to have a meeting with you soon. You took a few tests on your visit last week, and we need to speak to you in person about the results. They regretfully showed up positive.**_

_**Our greatest Apologies,**_

_** SWS (safe wizarding sex)**_

_ I put it in an envelope and sealed it. I put it under my coat with me and went back to the common room with a snicker. Pansy and Malfoy had not changed unfortunately. I tried not to gag as I set the envelope down and whispered Wingardiun levioso. The letter fluttered through the air to where Malfoy was. I muttered another spell and with a pop it stayed in place. Pansy broke her lips from Malfoy's and looked at the letter. _

_"Draco, what's that?" she asked, pushing him off of her, and grabing the letter. _

_"Who is it for?" he asked. Clearly trying to move closer to her. _

_"It's not addressed to anyone." She said flipping the letter over again. "I'll just open it," she said ripping the envelope. Malfoy plopped back down on the sofa, impatiently waiting to get on with what they were doing before. Her eyes scanned the letter quickly. I watched as her face twisted in confusion and then horror. _

_"BLOODY HELL!" she screeched running to the other side of the room away from him. _

_ I was about to burst out laughing. I held in my glee and ran out of the common room before I got myself caught. Once the portrait closed I threw off the cloak and fell to the ground in laughter. That's what he gets! Once I somewhat collected myself I grabbed the cloak and went to the Gryffindor common room, still letting a few giggles escape. I gave Harry his cloak back. And then went back up to the common room. _

_I opened the door and stepped in with a smug look on my face. Malfoy was in the kitchen chugging all the potions in the fridge. _

_"Jeeze Malfoy, you got enough potions there?" I ask. _

_"Shut it Granger," he spat finishing off the potion. _

_"I was just asking. Why are you drinking so much anyways? You do know that it makes you a little loopy?" _

_"Yeah I know. And it's none of your business." He said angrily. _

_"Oh ok. So it's not the STD thing that you are trying to deal with?" I ask, a smirk pulling at my lips. He slammed the potion bottle down and turned to glare at me. _

_"You," he seethed, getting up from his chair in the kitchen and moving towards me. "You put the letter there." He said through clenched teeth. _

_"Yep," I said not moving an inch and keeping my chin in the air. Did he think he was intimidating?_

_"Pansy left." He said getting closer. "And now I'm all alone, and not happy. Do you know what I do to people when I'm not happy?" he said getting closer. Ok maybe he was a little intimidating. He got closer and I was backed into the wall. His eyes burned with hatred into mine. "I make them suffer. And believe me you will." He said edging closer. _

_"Watch your back Granger," he said. Backing away and leaving the room. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. Something about Malfoy when he was upset made your entire body flashing red lights. I looked at the empty potion bottles on the counter, and then at the clock. _

_ It was nearly nine! I was going to be later for my first day of Astronomy class! I grabbed my bag and ran out of the common room to the Astronomy Tower. I made it just in time but out of breath. I took a seat in an open desk next to a fourth year and scanned the classroom. No Connor. I frowned and took out my book. _

_ "Hello everybody!" a cheerful little women said entering the room. _

_"Today I would like to start off the term with our class getting to know our telescopes." She said overly bubbly. "I have a list of partners, and I would like you to go up to the tower roof and take turns looking through the telescope." She said. "Now the partner's are-"she was cut off by Malfoy entering the room quickly. _

_"Sorry," he mumbled taking a seat in the back of the room by his friends Zabini and Nott. I rolled my eyes at his horrible punctuality. _

_"The partners are Ront, Thomas. Carrigan, Cunningham. Tront, Largoff. Nott, Fairfil, Zabini, Brown. Jewel, Houser. And Granger, Malfoy."_

A/N: There ya go! Chapter 11.

Ok so I am kind of running out of ideas, but I still got some good twists up my sleeve! Please leave a review if you have an idea, I will totally listen and respect it. :]

I am going to be out of town for a few days but I will try and have another update by Tuesday. It also matters about how many reviews I get:] pretty, pretty please review!

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: North Tower

That was just my luck. Malfoy was of course my partner. I groaned and quickly glanced at Malfoy. He was still slumped back on his chair, obviously refusing to move. I rolled my eyes and slung my bag over my shoulder.

"Professor?" I asked, taping her on the shoulder.

"Oh hello my dear, what can I do for you?" she asked too cheerfully for my liking.

"Could you tell me what telescope we are?" I said as politely as I could to the short, optimistic, pudgy women. She ran her finger along the list until she got to the bottom.

"Here it is!" she said tapping the board. "You are telescope eighteen. It is in the North tower. We didn't have enough room in the Astronomy Tower so we moved it to the North Tower. I trust you and Mr. Malfoy will be on your best behavior, seeing you are the Heads." I ground my teeth together and nodded. Why?!?!? Why did she hate me so much! Did she really want to sentence me to my doom! Just me and Malfoy… alone … in a tower. This was bound to be a disaster.

"Yes ma'm." I mumbled. Finally Malfoy got off his bum and showed up behind me.

"Let's go," I said going to the door.

"Where are we going?" he asked. Wow, no mudblood thrown into that sentence. Maybe he was in a good mood today…? Psh, like that could happen. I thought he would be madder about the SWS note I wrote than this. Maybe he is finally growing up some. Maybe the whole fake not was a little too harsh…

"The North tower, our telescope is up there." I responded.

"Oh," was all he said. Oh? That's it? It's not like he could have actually liked Pansy. Could he? She was so annoying, and selfish, and …pig like.

We stopped once we got to the spiral staircase going to the north tower. I looked up until I couldn't see any further. This was going to be interesting. I wasn't a very athletic person, as shown in my first year, trying to learn how to play quidditch. This might be a bigger problem than Malfoy at the moment. I started my pitiful journey up the stairs.

A few minutes later I was huffing hysterically. I don't see why Hogwarts can't use elevators. Muggles use them for Merlin's sake!

"What's wrong Granger, you didn't learn how to exercise form a book?" he sneered. Ahh there was the vicious Malfoy I knew. It was so good to have him back (yeah right).

"I have better things to do with my time than play catch on a stick," I said through huffs. He pushed me over and went in front of me. I didn't even see him breathe. I was dying!

"I'm in good shape, unlike you," he said climbing two steps at a time. His long muscular legs could handle it compared to my dainty fragile ones.

"Honestly Malfoy, quidditch can't get you in as good of shape as you say you are." I wheezed.

"Your right, quidditch doesn't. Sex does," he said strait out. He smirked back at me. I choked on what little breath I had.

"Thanks Malfoy, I really wanted to hear you say that," I said sarcastically, dragging my feet up the stairs.

"You should try it sometime, might do you good. "He smugly stated.

"You have no business talking to me about that with me. You don't know anything. "I panted.

"Oh so you're saying you have?" he asked stopping on the stairs and turning around to face me. And of course, I am staring at the steps, praying to Merlin I wouldn't trip. Leading me to run into his stone chest.

"L-Like I would tell you. What's it to you anyways? " A blush crept up my cheeks against my will. Of course I hadn't. I hadn't even kissed a boy.

"Calm down Granger I was just asking. Don't get your knickers in a fit." He smirked. He turned around and started back up the steps.

"Whatever," I mumbled. I started up the stairs behind him. After a few more minutes we were at the top. I wanted to fall on the ground and sleep so badly.

I saw the large telescope in the center of the round room looking up at the open ceiling. I slid my bag off my shoulder and went to the telescope. I adjusted the knobs like my latest book Astrology for the Academic said in chapter eight. I focused in and searched for a common constellation; the Milky Way. I had almost found it. I was focusing in to get the best view.

"Pardon me Granger, but I think it's my turn." Malfoy said overly polite. I looked at him astound.

"Pardon me?" I said. "What's wrong with you Malfoy, did you fall on the way over hear and hit your head?"

"No. It's called being polite for your information. Now **may I** use the telescope?" He asked politely.

"Suuure," I sad turning the telescope to him and eyeing him suspiciously.

Since when did Malfoy act polite? This must be some kind of joke. Well, there was one thing I knew for sure; there was no way in hell Malfoy could keep this "polite" act going.

The rest of the class Malfoy said nothing more than polite comments about how I looked today, or "please pass the Astronomy book," or "Come see this beautiful constellation." I watched in awe. Is it possible someone could change so fast? What did I say? At the end of class, Malfoy and I walked side by side down the staircase. It was surprisingly comforting. And the walk down was much easier than the walk up.

"It was a pleasure working with you," he said. "Please excuse me, but I left my books in the Astronomy tower. Goodnight." He said smiling. Wait… smiling? That couldn't have been a smile. Smirk was the only facial gesture he could make.

"y-yeah sure," I said in confusion. What was he up to? I made my way to the Heads dorm. My mind raced with questions. I seemed to have questions and no answers. One thing was for certain… I WAS CONFUSED.

A/N: Ok, I am SO SO SO sorry about the long wait. I was in a rut. But I am better now.

so I was thinking. I have a few reviews saying my chapters are short. And I agree. So I think I'm going to do one SUPER DUPER long chapter soon, as a treat :] But I don't know, what do you guys think? Please review!

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: It's A Date

Part 1: Divination

That night I went back to my dormitory and crawled into bed. I sat awake in bed hoping to catch some sleep, but malfoy's odd behavior was on my mind. I didn't understand why he was being so polite. What was he playing at? Someone couldn't change so fast. And he was a Malfoy. Malfoys were infamous to the entire wizarding world. They were labeled evil, wealthy, dark, arrogant, and unfortunately attractive. It had been that way for decades, and it wasn't about to change. I stayed up all night hoping to hear Malfoy come in, but I didn't hear a sound besides crookshanks messing around in the kitchen. I finally gave in and fell asleep.

But even while I was asleep I could not escape Malfoy. This was the first time I had dreamt of Malfoy. I saw him, much older, cradling a bundle in his hands. I tried to push myself to see farther. I was about to see what the bundle held in his arms when I snapped awake. I cursed to myself numerous times. I looked at the clock. It was nearly seven; I might as well get up anyways

The entire day Malfoy was overly polite. He didn't say one mean thing to me. He even called me by Hermione. It sounded so foreign in his voice. But I didn't understand what had made him this way. I tried not to be loutish to him though, if this wasn't some prank, I didn't want him to take it the wrong way. I liked him much better this way.

****

At lunch I heard yelling from the other side of the hall. "oy –ermione, look at that," Seamus said nudging my arm. I turned around to see Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy standing by the Slytherin table. Pansy was screaming at Malfoy.

"I can't believe you Draco! How could you do this to me!?" she screeched.

"I didn't do anything Pansy! How ever you got it, it wasn't from me! IT WASN'T TRUE!" Malfoy yelled back. He tried to pull her back down to her seat, but she yanked her arm away. "Sit down," he snarled.

"No! "She protested crossing her arms.

"You are so childish!" he bellowed.

"I am not!" she pouted like a cranky six year old. Malfoy rolled his eyes, which Pansy didn't fail to notice. "It's over!" she shrieked, throwing her pig nose at the ceiling and stomping out of the Great Hall.

"There never was anything Pansy!" he yelled after her. He turned around to see the majority of the Hall whispering and gaping at him.

"What are you looking at!" he shouted. He looked like he was going to kill someone. His blazing eyes ticked to me. I could feel the hate burn me. He snapped his eyes away and left the hall.

I couldn't help but feel somewhat guilty throughout the day. I didn't think this would go so far. After al, Pansy was like a fly on a web. Once she got close, she never left. She obviously proved down that statement. I didn't know if I should feel bad. He had been so horrible to me over the years; I was just returning the gesture.

But I couldn't shake off the guilt hovering over me throughout the day. It was like a rain cloud, waiting to pour its contents on me. So I tried to think of something else. I tried to find an explanation for Malfoy being so polite to me yesterday. After pondering for my entire charms class, it hit me.

Yesterday *-*-*-*-*-*-*

**_I opened the door and stepped in with a smug look on my face. Malfoy was in the kitchen chugging all the potions in the fridge. _**

**_"Jeeze Malfoy, you got enough potions there?" I ask. _**

**_"Shut it Granger," he spat, finishing off the potion. _**

**_"I was just asking. Why are you drinking so much anyways? You do know that it makes you loopy?" _**

**_"Yeah I know. And it's none of your business." He said angrily. _**

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

At the end of charms I ran to the dormitory and grabbed an empty bottle from the counter. I quickly scanned the fine print on the back.

WARNING: MAY CAUSE NAUSEA; HEADACHE; DISCLORING; MOODSWINGS; ENERGY BOOSTD; INVERTED MOODS.

I should have known there was no way in Hogwarts that Draco Ferret Malfoy would ever change. He was just drugged! I read the rest of the warning…

SIDE EFFECTS SHOULD WEAR OF AFTER 24 HOURS.

Yep, he was drugged. I laughed out loud at m y stupidity. The class bell rang. I cursed, I was late for class! I ran to divination.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

"You are late my dear," she said in her creepy voice, staring into her crystal ball. Her back was turned to me as I tried to tiptoe behind her to an empty table.

"Yes, I know," I sad taking a seat in the open table. Ugh, she was so weird. And divination was a total load of toad shit. I was only taking it because I needed another class to make it seam that I was a "well rounded student." I had hated it since third year. It was the first year that I had taken Divination, and it was a total hoax. We didn't even do anything that came out true. It said Harry was supposed to die, and yet he is still alive! Maybe in advanced Divination, we would do something that could actually help me. And that was TRUE.

"Today class, we will be looking iiiinto the future," she said, grasping the air with her hand. I tried my hardest to not let a laugh escape my lips. She was absolutely crazy.

"Now, everyone cup your hands around the crystal ball," she said closing her eyes and fallowing the directions. I rolled my eyes and copied her.

"Take a deeeeeep breathe in, and close your eyes," she soothed. I heard everyone breathe in so I did the same. I closed my eyes as well. "Clear your mind," she said. "Relax, and Release all of your problems," I peaked one eye open and met with a pair of stormy gray eyes from across the room. I quickly shut my eyes. And let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. I was definitely not expecting that. "Stay calm and repeat after me," she said lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Pensos Futares."

The class echoed the words, as did I. This was pointless, nothing was going to happen. But after I spoke the words I felt my hands grow cold. A shiver ran up my spine going from my hands to spread throughout my whole body. I felt like I was clutching an ice cube, and I couldn't let go. My hands started to sting.

"Open your eyes,"

I opened my eyes and leaned in closer to the crystal. It changed from its cloudy color to a glowing blue shade. It looked like a blur, so I leaned in closer. It looked d like nothing so I tried to focus harder. Pushing myself to see what it held. The picture got clearer and I could make out an outline of a figure. I focused as hard as I could, and it got cleared. Then it made sense. It was my dream. The figure was Malfoy. And in his arms was a bundle wrapped in a blanket. I dug my nails into the crystal ball with all of my strength hoping to see further than my dreams had let me. It started to work, I was getting excited and it moved faster. I could almost see what was in his arms. I was so close!

"Hermione's got something!" Dean yelled to the class running over to me. A few students fallowed while others craned their necks top see what I had foreseen. With a gasp I let go of the ball as I came back to reality. It rolled off the table and hit the ground with a thump. I looked at it, but it had already returned to its cloudy shade.

"Fuck," I muttered and glared at Dean. I was so close to seeing what it was! The glass ball stopped under Trelawney's foot.

"Do not fret my dear," she said touching my shoulder. I looked at her glazed over eyes hidden behind her oversized glasses. "the future will unravel itself in time,"

I didn't want 'in time'. I wanted now! This dream is so confusing. I don't understand why Malfoy was in it. I looked up to where professor Trelawney was, but she was gone. I looked around the room and met eyes with confused grey ones. His eyes turned from confusion to anger quickly. Did he see my prediction? I could feel the hatred radiation form him like a sun. The class was almost over so I decided to say something to him. This behavior had to stop. I couldn't have a pair of eyes burning into my back in EVERY class. Maybe I should slip him a few potions before… I scolded myself for the bad thoughts.

I knew I had to apologize, no matter how disgusting and cruel he had been. I had acted worse. I took a deep breath and collected my belongings. I got up and slowly walked to the back of the room where he was seated alone.

"Hi," I said timidly. He sat and glared at me. "Ok… um we have a prefect meeting tonight," I said trying to make conversation. He didn't respond. I guess getting him to talk will be more difficult then I thought. "I have a plan written up, so I can lead it, if you want," he continued to glare at me. The bell rang and he lunged for the door.

"Malfoy wait!" I said grabbing his arm. He looked at it oddly so I pulled my arm away. "The real reason I came to talk to you was to apologize about what I did. It was uncalled for. Ok not completely uncalled for but I shouldn't have done it. I didn't mean for it to go that far. I never thought you and Pansy would break up," I said quietly. He didn't look at me anymore but instead stared at the ground. "I didn't think Pansy meant so much to you,"

"She doesn't," he muttered.

"Then do you forgive me?" I asked. He paused for a moment. The entire classroom was now empty.

"It doesn't matter if I forgive you. I WILL get you back," he said through clenched teeth. Malfoy left the classroom and I was alone.

Yes, I should have drugged him.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Part 2: Prefect Meeting

After classes that day I went to dinner. The hall was packed. I anxiously looked down the table. Connor was gone during potions this morning, and I wanted to talk to him.

"Hey Hermione," a voice said behind me.

"Oh hi," I said turning around to see Connor.

"Looking for someone?" he asked raising an eyebrow. A blush flooded my cheeks.

Where were you today in potions?" I asked trying to change the subject.

"I decided to take a break." He said with a shrug. "It's always good to take a break."

"It's the fourth day of the term," I said shooting him a disapproving look.

"Well maybe it's just fun," he said showing off his flawless smile."You get a thrill when you break the rules." I knew that t feeling. I had gotten it the day I took Harry's cloak to Hogsmade.

"Have you ever skipped?" he asked. Now that I think about it, I never have. Not **once **in my whole Hogwarts career. Pitiful, it was.

"No," I muttered, tracing the tile floor with my foot. School had always been my first priority. I would pass up a good time in a second to finish off an essay that wasn't due for another week.

"You haven't?!" he asked in disbelief. "Common, everyone has skipped school at least once. Not once?" he asked. I shook my head. I had never done anything that really _broke_ the rules. The only thing I ever did was with the Order, but I never did anything on my own. It's like I am afraid of fun.

"That's not right. This is your last year at Hogwarts. Don't you want to do something memorable?"

I thought back to all of my experiences at Hogwarts. The few things that stood out were all including the Order. Nothing had to do with going out and having fun, it was all focused on saving the wizarding world, or fulfilling missions.

"Skip with me," he said. "Skip Potions tomorrow," he said.

Skip potions?! But then I would be behind in my class work. And I would have to redo the assignment, and I would not get the notes, and I would lose out on a good lesson, and I will be behind, and… and…

Connor was so darn cute.

"Please?" he asked again. "Do I need to get on my hands and knees and beg?" he asked.

"We are in the middle of the Great Hall," I whispered.

"I will," he threatened.

"Don't you dare. You will make a fool of yourself!" I snapped. He gave me a shrug and got down on his knee and grabbed my hand.

"Hermione, please skip potions with me tomorrow," he said with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes and looked around the great hall at the few students observing Connors odd skit. I met a pair of livid grey ones from across the hall. Why is it that I kept on doing this.

"Fine," I huffed. He got up and hugged me. I felt a spark from his warm grasp, and I liked it.

"Very good, I will see you at your dorm tomorrow morning at eight," he said as the bell rang.

"Ok," I sighed. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He waved goodbye and left the Great Hall, fallowing the flow of students leaving. Oh boy, this would be interesting.

*_*_*_*_*_*

After classes it was time for the prefect meeting. I had gotten a letter from Mcgonagle earlier that morning giving me a list of things to cover. I had a good list going for the meeting, and I was excited to get the year going. There was so much to do! I went to the room of requirements and imagined a room with a long table and a fireplace, and parchment set on the table. Also, a basket of assorted sweets in the center of the table. The room didn't disobey, and I walked into the cream colored room of my description. I checked the clock that came into view. The meeting was starting in ten minutes, and Malfoy was supposed to be here by now. I opened my bag and set out the meeting plan. I neatly packed it into a perfect stack. The door swung open, and in walked Malfoy.

"Hey," I said. He didn't answer back. Instead he threw down his bag on the table. Ok… I guess he was angrier than I thought.

"So, you and that pretty boy Connor are going out?" he said, unpacking his bag. He decides to talk and that's what he says???

"That's none of your business," I said watching him aggressively slam down his books.

"Oh really? You just ruin my thing with pansy, I think I can ask whatever I want." He spat. He did have a point here. But I can't believe he was pulling the guilt card out on me.

"How did you know that?" I asked.

"Pretty boy made it pretty obvious in the great Hall." He said throwing down his last book. "Now are you going to answer my question?" I rolled my eyes.

"We aren't going out, we just have a date," I said sitting down. He snorted.

"You need to get out more Granger," he said. "You're going on a date with him, which means you are going out."

"Like you know anything about dating," I shot back at him.

"Yeah your right. I don't know anything about dating because I don't go on dates. First off, they come to me. And second, I don't have a girlfriend. I have girls at my beckon call. "He smirked. I rolled my eyes.

"You are so egotistical," GENTLEMEN take girls on dates. And girls like gentlemen. I said. "Well you're not a girl, so how would you now," he smugly stated. I slapped his arm.

The clock struck and it was time for the prefect meeting to start. Students started coming in at different rates, and Malfoy took a seat at the other head of the table.

"Hey Hermione!" Ron said coming into the room and taking a seat next to me. "We miss you in the common room." He said.

"Hey Ronald, I miss you too," I said. I hadn't gotten a lot of time to see Harry and Ron since the beginning of the term. School was keeping me busy. "Is Harry a prefect too?"

"No, Mcgonagle (a/n: help on how to spell her name? :/) Is making harry do private lessons with Snape under Dumbledore's wishes." Ron whispered leaning in closer. "Harry says its torture; being stuck with him for hours doing more Occlemency. "

"It would be murderous," I agreed. "And the war is over too, there is no point," Ron nodded in agreement. I watched as the rest of the prefects filled the seats. They were all filled within minutes except for one. The clock rang announcing classes to start. I looked at the turnout of prefects in the room.

From Hufflepuff were Alexis Stromnag and Bulgarla Peterzg. From Slytherin were Blaise Zabini and Cecilia. From Gryffindor were Ron and Pavarti, and from Ravenclaw were Luna, and an empty chair. Someone was late from Ravenclaw to my surprise. I was suspecting it to be a Slytherin. I looked at the clock and decided to start without them.

"Hi everyone," I said getting their attention.

"So, Mcgonagle has given me a few things to cover today. First off nightly rounds-"I was interrupted by the door flinging open and the missing prefect walking in. Connor came in and quickly took his seat. I wanted to say hi, but I had to remember I was the Head girl and he was a prefect.

"Your late," I said sternly. I couldn't help but let my lip curve up.

"Sorry… ma'm," he said with a smirk. He gave me a wink and I tried not to flush red at the other prefects watching.

"As I was saying, as a prefect, you have to do rounds every night except Saturdays and Sundays when the teachers take over. You patrol the corridors and grounds, to make sure no one is out of their dorms past curfew. If someone is out of place, either assign them detention, or take away house points. You must stay with your partner prefect at all times while on your rounds. Any reports of a prefect skipping out on their duties or giving unfair punishments will have consequences including losing your position," I said looking directly at Malfoy. He smirked back. "The assigned areas are: the North and East towers for Gryffindor, the West towers for Ravenclaws, the South tower and the dungeons for Slytherins, and Malfoy and I will take the outdoor grounds." I said. "Any questions?"

No one answered so I continued. "The next point of business is about upcoming events. Professor has asked me to find a way to promote inner house unity." I looked at Connor, his charming smile left me thoughtless.

"And… um…" I stuttered looking away from Connor to the first place my eyes went. Malfoy. He was glaring at Connor. "Do you have any ideas for things we could do to promote inner house unity?" I asked looking at Malfoy oddly. Pavarti raised her hand.

"At The Daily Prophet my mum does a thing called a 'Secret Santa that she does with her co-workers," she suggested. "Its quiet fun," there were whispers around the table. I wrote down the idea of a secret Santa.

"That's a great idea," I agreed. "Any other suggestions?" I asked, looking around the table. Cecilia's hand went up.

"Could we do a Christmas ball?" she asked. There were even more whispers in agreement.

"Ok, that's a good idea. Let's take a vote. All in favor of the Secret Santa raise your hand," I said. I counted 3 hands. "And hands up for the ball?" I said. I counted 6.

"It is set then, we are having a Christmas ball. I will get back to you with the details at next week's meeting." I said getting up. Excited talk of the ball filled the air and people started to pack up and leave the room. I was excited for the ball. At the ball I had a lovely time; it was one of the times in my life that I actually let go. The only problem about balls is that I am a horrible dancer. I was lucky enough to have a good partner. Victor was a divine dancer, he led me through everything. I hope I have a partner that is as good of a dancer as Victor…

"Who decided that we have to do rounds outside?" Malfoy asked. I turned around and almost slammed into Malfoy.

'Um... Mcgonagle did," I said. I looked around at the room. It was almost deserted except for Luna and Connor. Connor seemed to be taking an abnormally long time to put his stuff away. Which I was happy about, because I didn't get a chance to say hi. An owl flew through the window and dropped off a letter on the table. I quickly opened it.

__

__

__

__

_**Mrs. Granger and Mr. Malfoy,**_

_**A ball sounds fantastic. Start planning, and run the ideas by me soon.**_

_**Yours truly,**_

_** Minerva Mcgonagle**_

Of course Professor would know about the ball already. Malfoy was looking over my shoulder at the letter.

"We need to make a plan," I said. "When do you want to meet?" I asked.

"Tomorrow morning," he said looking over at Connor. He was slowly putting the last book into his bag. Luna was almost gone.

"I can't," I mumbled.

"Oh yeah!" he said with fake surprise. "I almost forgot you had a date!" he smirked at me and I glared.

"Saturday then,' he said stepping closer. I looked over at Connor who was about to leave.

"Fine," I said. I stepped back, but he fallowed. It seemed like a ritual to him.

"It's a date then," he said leaning closer to my ear.

"Garlander looks like he is going to explode," he whispered with a soft chuckle. I looked out of the corner of my eye to see it was true. Connor was now throwing the last bit of his stuff violently into his bag. "This will really set him over the edge," he whispered. He pulled me to him and locked lips with me. I felt an explosion of fireworks go off. I heard the door slam and I pushed Malfoy away.

"What the bloody hell was that?!" I yelled.

"Payback," he smirked.

"You arrogant, evil, horrible RODENT!" I screamed. I grabbed my bag and ran out of the hall after Connor.

A/N: TADA!!!! Did you guys like this long chapter??? I hope it was good too. Who said we can't have quality and quantity:]

Review?

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Forgive and Forget?

**present day**

what happened to Connor?" Rose asked on the edge of her chair. "How could Draco Malfoy do something like that? He had just ruined everything for you!" she said. Obviously Rose was just as upset as Hermione had been at the time.

"I know how you feel. I was ready to explode on him myself. "She said with a chuckle. "But he was only doing what he thought was right," Hermione said, shutting her eyes again.

"What do you mean by 'he was only doing what he thought was right?" Rose asked curiously.

"It will make sense in time," the old women said. "As for Connor-"she was cut off with a horse choke. She coughed until her throat was clear. Rose patted her on the back softly. Hermione saw the look of agony in Rose's eyes. It tore at her heart to see Rose so upset about her sickness. She did her best to ignore the throbbing pain in her throat, and to be strong for Rose. "As for Connor," she repeated, clearing her throat and taking in a deep breath. "You'll have to let me finish my story to know how things turn out,"

Rose nodded and handed her mother a glass of water. "Go on mother," she said.

***FLASHBACK***

_"Connor wait!" I yelled, running down the hall after him. He didn't turn around. I started to catch up to him. I grabbed his arm and flew in front of him, blocking his path from leaving._

_"I didn't plan for any of that," I said looking at him. He was looking at the ground._

_"I thought you liked me," he said. "But obviously you have feelings for Draco," he said not tearing his eyes form the ground._

_"No it's not like that at all," I said shaking my head vigorously, and trying to catch my breath. "I don't like him," _

_"Well it sure seemed like it!" he said louder looking up at me. "You didn't stop him," _

_"I was confused, and it was so sudden I-I …" I stuttered. "Please," I said softly. "I really like you Connor, and I don't want this to change anything. It was nothing," _

_ I DID like Connor. He was an amazing guy; he was sweet, handsome, charming, and funny. He was someone that I didn't want to lose, and Malfoy knew that. For once in my life, I had a relationship, and Malfoy had to come and destroy it. He would never change, he would always be that self centered person that was a thorn in your foot; if you ever wanted to take a step he would hurt you. But I knew that that the kiss didn't mean anything. I couldn't forget those fireworks the second he touched me, I was still light headed form the sudden heat. I couldn't think like that though. He had just ruined what I had with Connor for Merlin's sake! How could I be thinking of him while looking at Connors broken smile. Malfoy was off limits. I had to fix things with Connor._

_ "It really didn't mean anything?" he asked. _

_"Yes, it meant absolutely nothing." I lied. _

_"Ok," he sighed. I couldn't help but crack a smile._

_"So you forgive me?" I asked leaning on one foot, biting my lip, and hoping not to squeal in excitement._

_"Yeah I forgive you," he said._

_"Yes!" I squealed. I pulled him into a hug. "I promise it won't happen again," I said next to his ear. My heart dropped as I made the promise. I knew my heart didn't want to make that promise, but I had to. _

_"Ok," he said. _

_"Are we still on for tomorrow?" I reminded him of our plan for tomorrow morning. I pulled away. _

_"Yeah, if you still are," he said with a shrug._

_"Ok well I am, so I will see you at 8 o'clock sharp." I said. He nodded. _

_"I have astronomy class, so I will see you later," _

_"Ok, see you then," he said and waved goodbye. He went around the corner and I let out a breath, and made my way back to the dormitory. Phew, that went better than I thought. _

_**In the library of the dormitory**_

_ Luckily it was Wednesday today, so I didn't have Astronomy. The class was only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This meant that I had the rest of the day to plan for tomorrow…_

_ Tomorrow would be my ultimate payback day, and I couldn't wait. Malfoy had earned everything that would be coming to him. I pulled out a sheet of parchment from my bag and laid it on the desk. I decided to make a list. It would hold everything that made Malfoy who he was today, and everything he loved. I pulled out a quill and dipped it in the thick ink._

_**1. Money**_

_**2. Golden Hair**_

_**3. Amazing not so amazing body**_

_**4. Stormy eyes**_

_**5. Flawless skin**_

_**6. Quidditch**_

_**7. Broomstick**_

_**8. Witches**_

_**9. Reputation**_

__

__

__

__

_ I admired my list. I mentally checked off a few in my mind that I had solutions for in my bag of goodies form Hogsmade. Those few that I checked off would have to be enough for tomorrow. I would have to make another trip to Hogsmade soon. The rest of the night I planned tomorrow's events. I had almost forgotten about my date with Connor. At the moment, my plan for revenge was higher up on my list. I drifted to sleep, hoping that my plans for tomorrow would work. _

_A/N: ok here is chapter 14. Got any guesses on what is going to happen tomorrow?? :D Now, I am thinking that next chapter will be a full flashback chapter, AND THEN I will tell you guys what's happening. Ha-ha But that's just a thought. Please review you guys because it makes my day!_

I love all of my reviews and readers, so I want to take a minute to thank you ^_^

_Love Always,_

_ Slitheirnlove 3_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Oh Sweet Revenge

_ My alarm blared at six a.m. I slammed my arm against the clock and rolled onto my back. I rubbed my sleepy eyes and sat up. I had had the same dream I usually had. It didn't get any further than it usually did. I stretched my arms and pulled back the covers revealing a cold, unwanted breeze. _

_ I stretched my toes to touch the chilly ground and got out of bed. I slumped to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. Then a thought popped into my mind. It was revenge time…_

_ I turned on the water and splashed water onto my face. I wiped off the water, and brushed my teeth quickly. I ran a comb through my hair and put it into a messy bun for the time being. I changed into tight dark jeans and a light pink, tight shirt. I added on a touch of make-up as well. I reviewed my look in the mirror. Not too bad. But I had more important things to think about at the moment. Like how to ruin Draco Malfoy. I went to my room and with a flick of my wand acciod my bag of supplies. I peeked inside and smirked. I poured my contents out onto the table. _

_ Fred and George had been nice enough to give me a discount on their products. I had picked out a Slug Snot potion, Pimples Scrub, and a Touch of Color. A touch of color is Fred's newest trick. It changed the color of the person's skin. It was so childish, yet incredibly entertaining. I ran to the library and pulled out the list from the night before. _

_**1. Money**_

_**2. Golden Hair**_

_**3. amazing body**_

_**4. Stormy eyes**_

_**5. Flawless skin**_

_**6. Quidditch**_

_**7. Broomstick**_

_**8. Witches**_

_**9. Reputation**_

I looked at number too. Oh yes, how could I forget? I had the perfect thing for that. I looked under my bed and found the sharpie black hair dye I had bought from Witch Salon. This would definitely do the trick. I took the dye, the pimple soap, the slug snot potion, and the touch of color and went into the bathroom. I opened the dye box and mixed the contents. I walked to the shower and unscrewed the cap of his shampoo bottle. I poured the dye in with a snicker. I screwed the lid back on and replaced the soap in the shower with the Pimple Scrub. I then changed his body scrub with A Touch of Color. I was set. I disposed of the evidence of me being there and grabbed the Slug Snot Potion. I had plans for this later. I giggled to myself. This would be great. I had one more stop to make though; Draco's bedroom.

I turned off the lights and grabbed my wand from the end table. I tiptoed to the door and whispered alohamora. The door made a soft click and opened slowly. The room was draped in darkness. It was set up a lot like mine, except decked out in Green and Silver. I heard a groan and my eyes snapped to the bed. There laid Draco Malfoy. I stopped dead in my tracks as I heard another groan and saw a figure flip over in the bed. It was quiet again. I exhaled in relief and continued moving. I searched the room until I saw what I was looking for. Malfoy's broom was lying against his open closet drawer. I bit my lip and tiptoed to it. I heard another mumble from Malfoy

"Oh Draco," someone murmured. I stopped and turned around slowly. My eyes widened as I saw Cecilia on one side of the bed with her arms draped around Malfoy. I covered my mouth with my hand holding in a gasp.

OMG. What was Cecilia doing in here!? Well that was a stupid question; I knew what she was doing. But I thought I made it known that girls WERE NOT allowed in the dormitory! I felt a dragon inside of me ready to burst as she said his name again. Why was he with Cecilia! She was such a whore, and so stupid, and a whore, and did I mention she is a whore! Boiled angered over me as I watched Malfoy move closer to him. I looked around for something, anything. Cecilia had to pay. I saw a pair of scissors on the desk. I grabbed them (and no I am not going to stab her, if that is what you were thinking) I put it to her hair. I grabbed a chunk of silky dark hair and put it in between the scissors. I closed my eyes and looked away. I closed the scissors and opened one eye, looking to her hair. There was a massive chunk missing. My eyes widened at what I had done. I don't even know why I did it! What was I thinking!? I started panicking. What if she found out?! I looked around for an escape. I saw Malfoy and went to his arm lying on the pillow. I carefully touched his cold hand and opened it, hoping to Merlin he didn't wake. With luck he didn't, and I slipped the hunk of hair into it. I couldn't get caught with it!!!! Maybe Cecilia was so dumb she would think Malfoy did it. It was a possibility….

I tiptoed back to the desk and put the scissors down without a sound. I looked back at the broomstick. I would have to finish that later. I heard Cecilia move again and a yawn come from her. I quickly left the room, and slowly closed the door. With a soft click it was locked again. I let out a breath and went to my room. Malfoy would be up any minute. I couldn't wait to see him at breakfast. An owl flew in through the window. I put my hand out to it and it landed on my arm. I took the note from its beak and it flew off of my arm to the desk. I curiously opened the note.

_** I can't wait to see you. I'll be there in five minutes.**_

_** Connor**_

__

My heart sank. I had completely forgotten about my date with Connor. I was so wrapped up with this revenge that I forgot about him! Obviously he hadn't forgotten about me. I felt a pang of guilt. I re-read the note. I had ten minutes. I ran to the bathroom and did a few spells on my hair. Soon it was smooth and lay in curls on my shoulders. I ran downstairs and grabbed some bread from the counter and pointed my wand at it. It soon became toast. I Put it in my mouth and ran upstairs to grab my cloak, and some money. While I grabbed my cloak I heard the shower turn on. My stomach scattered. I smirked, ran down the stairs, and heard a knock at the portrait door. I put the last bit of toast in my mouth and opened the door to a smiling Connor.

A/N: I decided to skip the non-flashback chapter and do it in one or two more chapters. Do you guys like the non flashback chapters by the way? I hope you guys liked this chapter, and im very happy to say I updated right away ^_^. You guys can thank AlexavieraJRaven for that.

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: A Visit

**Non-flashback! **

"Don't you think you were a little out of hand, mother?" rose asked. "He did deserve some of the trouble, but what about the Cecillia girl? What had she done to you?" Rose was surprised by her mother's actions. She had always known her mother to be sweet, wise and caring women. She had never thought she would have done something like this. Hermione exhaled deeply.

"Yes, you are right Rose." She said. Her lip hardened and she shook her head slowly. "I was completely engrossed in destroying his life that I didn't see what it was doing to me. I was becoming a monster. I stooped so low to forgotten about poor Connor. He was such a wonderful boy that any girl would love, but I was too revenge crazed to focus on him. I didn't deserve someone as wonderful as him."

"Then why did you do it mother. Why did you cut her hair and why did you do so many horrible things to Malfoy?"

"I have asked myself that question for years Rose." Hermione sighed. Her wrinkled face fell with sadness and she looked down to her hands. "Since first year I had promised myself I would keep my emotions under control. I wanted to know how I felt at all times, and to never get emotionally stung. And from that day I had kept my promise, until seventh year. For some reason I let my guard down, and I let go. Some of which I liked, and the other I hated. I loved the feeling things like that twist in your stomach when I spoke to Connor and Draco, and the feeling of revenge, the feeling of letting go of my anger. But I hated the consequences that fallowed. So, I came up with one answer for my actions. I wanted that spur of the moment felling when I cut her hair and let go of my anger."Hermione paused. "But the more I thought about it, I realized it wasn't anger. It was jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Rose repeated.

"Yes Rose, jealousy. It is the worst feeling any person can hold. It is strong enough to destroy you and your reputation." Rose cocked her head to the side. A sly smile spread upon her lips.

"You loved him," she said softly catching her mother's eyes. She saw the color return to her mother's eyes, as they danced with life. Hermione chuckled lightly.

"I didn't know I loved him, "Hermione said smiling.

"But you did love him?" Rose asked. Hermione paused

"Yes."

"Did you tell him?" Rose asked hopefully. Rose was anxious to continue the story. Hermione's face dropped from her smile. Hermione was about the answer when there was a knock on the door. It cracked open and Anya popped her head in and flashed a gap toothed smile.

"Gran Gran!" she said in her high pitched squeal. She pushed the door open and ran to her grandmother. She jumped onto the bed and flung onto her grandmother. Rose tried to slow Anya down without success. Anya squeezed Hermione into a hug.

"Careful Anya," Rose whispered. She was so worried for her mother's safety. She was like a porcelain doll. She felt at any sudden movement she could shatter. Anya pulled herself to Hermione and rested her tiny head on Hermione's slow heart.

"I wove you Gran," Anya said. "I made you a present," she said sitting back.

"Oh you did?" Hermione said with her baby voice pinching Anya's freckled cheek. Anya giggled and pulled a crumpled paper from her pink coat pocket. She opened it with her tiny hands and handed it to Hermione. Hermione's smile brightened and she pulled Anya closer. She looked at the picture.

The picture was of the family. There were bright colors and stick figures of Rose, Carius, Anya and herself all holding hands. There were happy sparkles on the page. Hermione held back tears.

"This is very pretty Anya," Hermione said kissing Anya on the forehead.

"She has been working on it at home for the last few days," Rose said with a shaky smile. She could see Rose's eyes on the brink of tears. Hermione knew why. It was most likely the last family picture there would be with Hermione included. Rose tried to hide the tears.

"Thank you very much my darling," Hermione said sweetly. She put the picture on the table beside her. There was another knock on the door, and Carius walked in. Hermione's heart sped.

"Hello Carius," she said politely. She held out her arms and Carius came to fill them with a warm hug.

"Hello Hermione," he said in his strong British accent and a charming smile. He took a seat next to Rose. Rose got up from her seat and brushed off her shirt. "I'm going to make something to eat for us mum," she said. "Why don't you come with me Anya?" she asked. Anya nodded and moved from the bed, but not before kissing Hermione on the cheek quickly. She grabbed Rose's hand and they left the room to go to the kitchen.

"So, how have you been Carius," Hermione said turning to Carius. Her eyes lit with excitement. It was a feeling she had often when she saw Carius. She had a stretched smile on her face.

"I have been well. The ministry is doing wonderfully," he said. Rose nodded with a smile as she looked into his soft grey eyes she adored so much.

"That's very good," Hermione said. He gave her a smile.

"And yourself?" he asked.

"I have had better days." Hermione said with a shrug.

"Are you feeling more ill?" he asked worriedly. "I don't think it is in your best interest to avoid the hospital, Hermione." He said. His face twisted in worry.

"I don't want any more help form the healers." Hermione said. "I have decided to let nature take its course, you know that Carius." Hermione said tilting her head. Her eyes lost their light at the sight of Carius's stress. He rubbed his hands on his face and sniffed back a sob. He ran a hand through his hair and sat back again, leaning his head on his hand.

"But you know what the doctors said," he said. "There is only a few more days…" Hermione nodded. She closed her eyes.

"I know Carius. I must move on," she slightly pleaded. Carius's lip hardened as he held back the tears as much as he could. He moved from the chair to sit on the bed. Carius loved Hermione. She was the mother he never had. He couldn't think of losing her…

"I need you. We need you," he said softly. Hermione felt a pang of guilt for putting her family through this. She didn't want them to feel the pain, but she knew she had to do this.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Carius let the tears slip over and they fell one by one. Hermione pulled him into a hug as the tears pored. She held him as he sobbed in her arms.

A/N: hey guys. So a kind of depressing chapter :'(

I'm really sorry for the long wait again. I broke my foot so I have been soooo busy with appointments, ECT. Surgery is tomorrow, so I wanted to make sure you guys got this chapter before then.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: A Skip Date

Hermione looked out the window at the poring rain whipping around outside, and slamming against the window. The only light outside was the sharp crackle of lightning now and again. Rose came back into the room with a platter of tea. She set it down beside the table and took the tea pot off the platter and carefully poured it into two cups.

"Anya was very excited to see you today," Rose said handing her mother the tea. Hermione took it in her shaky grasp. Rose helped her bring it to her lips. "Carius was as well,"

"Yes Carius is wonderful," she said taking a sip and letting Rose take the cup from her.

"He has been very upset by your decision, you know mother," Rose said looking at her tea and stirring in the sugar. There was a long silence. The only sound was the spatter of rain and then a deep growl of thunder.

"I know he is."

"He hasn't slept in weeks, he won't eat. Even the men at the ministry are worried about him. The Minister Neville himself has asked about Carius's health," Rose looked at Hermione with somber eyes.

"There is nothing I can do." Hermione said. "I can't stop this. I feel horrible for doing this to Carius but there is no stopping this. It's spreading with or without the doctor's help." Hermione said. She tried to keep her voice strong for her daughter. It was not the time to break down. She had let her tears fall for Carius, and that was too much. The stronger she was, the easier it would be for her family.

"Ok," Rose said nodding. "Is that it then? This is it?" Rose asked. Her eyes glistened. There was another extensive pause.

"It is not the end Rose. Not until my story is finished." Hermione said. She knew her daughter had to know the truth. Her time wasn't up until she knew. Rose looked at her oddly.

"Then lets continue…" she said setting down the tea.

**** FLASHBACK(connor is picking Hermione up)*****

I swung the door to the common room open. Swallowed the last of my toast and caught my breath. 

"Hey!" I said excitedly. I sent him a smile and pulled the curly strands of hair away from my face.

"You ready to go?" Connor asked looking at my rushed appearance. 

yeah," I said quickly. "Troubles with the roomie, ya know," I said with a shrug. Now THAT was an understatement. I would consider the relationship more than trouble. 

"Of course," Connor said. His smile fell slightly. What did that mean? I shook off the odd gesture and closed the door, making sure to slam it harder than usual. Hopefully that would wake up Romeo and sleeping baldy. I mentally laughed at my corny joke. 

"So where are we going?" I asked boldly taking his hand. I was stunned at my own actions. Anyone who knew Hermione Granger knew that I would never make a first move. Thankfully he didn't pull his hand away. I supposed it was an adrenalin rush from is mornings events. Ruining Malfoy's life got your heat pumping!

"I was thinking we could go down hogsmead and stop at a few shops," he said. Again he revealed his familiar charming smile. It was his best trait after all. It always made my heart melt into butter. A thought popped into my mind. Maybe we could stop at Fred and George's shop and I could pick up a few more things for later. My mind swarmed with different ways to get Malfoy. I was starting to get greedy. It seemed like nothing I could do would be enough.

"So… does that sound good?" he asked looking at me suspiciously. Oops I had just zoned out. I snapped back to reality.

"Does what sound good?" I asked quickly. He breathed deeply.

"Going to shop around hogsmead," he said catching my gaze. I saw hurt in his eyes. What had I done?

"Yeah that sounds great." I said happily, trying to lighten the mood. Maybe Connor was still upset about Malfoy kissing me. My mind drifted back to the kiss. I stopped myself immediately. I was with CONNOR right now, so I am going to think about CONNOR.

"Ok, I was thinking we could stop at the book store. I heard your favorite store was there." He said as we walked down the slow flowing corridor. There were only a few students here and there. Class didn't start for nearly half an hour. 

"Yes! My favorite store Griffin Books is there!" I said excitedly jumping. I hadn't been there all year! "How did you know that was my favorite store?" I asked walking backwards in front of him, still holding his hands.

"Meh… I have my ways," he said with a humorous shrug. I rolled my eyes playfully at him and went back to his side. We were now outside and walking down the path to Hogsmead. 

As we walked we talked about our favorite books. We shared our interest in old literature. He was an admirer of the American muggle play writer Shakespeare. We both appreciated the old text, and how the words held a romantic feel to them. We were also both very passionate about the history of the wizarding society. It interested both of us immensely. Our favorite books consisted of Hogwarts a History, and A Historical Phenomenon. Once we got to hogsmead we went to the book store first and raped the shelves of the best books. Connor showed me his favorites. Few of which I had not read. We both left the store with piles of books. We minimized our books to fit into our pockets.

"Ok where to next?" I asked. I was very pleased with how the day was going. I didn't think it was ok to go book shopping on a date. It was one of the reasons I avoided dates, but if it would always be like is I was in heaven!

"I was thinking The Three Broomsticks?" he said. "I'm a little parched." 

I didn't blame him. It was an abnormally warm day in October. I had a light jacket on to cover myself from the morning coolness. It was a partially sunny day, and there was a slight breeze that was enough to rustle the trees and swirl the fallen leaves above the pavement. 

"That sounds good to me," I said. He grabbed my hand again and we walked up the road to the pub. He opened the door for me like a gentleman. I squealed inside. He was such a polite guy, he made my heart flutter. He grabbed my hand again and pulled me gently to the bar. 

"Hey there Connor!" a man said behind the counter of the bar. He put out his hand for Connor to shake and Conner took it sternly. The man looked very friendly. He was tall and his face was wrinkled with age. There were strong laugh lines on his cheeks and his hair was starting to grey. He was wearing a dirty apron over a grey shirt and jeans. 

"Hey Billy," he replied with a smile and taking a seat beside me. 

"And this is… the famous Hermione?" he asked looking to me with gleeful eyes.

"Yes that's me. I didn't know I was famous though," I said happily to the stranger. I looked over to Connor.

"Connor here has been talking' 'bout you all week," He said, playfully punching Connor in the arm. 

"Billy," Connor groaned. 

"Oops, I didn't know I embarrassed the boy," he said to me with a chuckle. I laughed as well. 

"Hermione, this is Billy. He is like a dad to me," Connor said with a smile.

"Well it's nice to meet you Billy," I said politely with a smile. 

"Now what can I get you two to drink?" he asked cheerfully. "You know the rules though Connor, no firewiskey." He said eyeing Connor playfully. 

"Ok Billy. I'll have a butterbeer, and…?" he asked looking to me. 

"A buttterbeer as well," I added.

"Coming right up," he said with a nod and leaving to make the drinks. 

"So that's Billy," Connor said to me with a smile.

"He seems like a great guy," I said. I wasn't lying either, Billy was hilarious!

"Yeah he is. He has always been a father to me. Once my parents died he took me in before I came to Hogwarts. He had always been a friend of the family, and he was like a second father." 

"Aww that is so sweet of Billy," I said. It seems that Connor has had it hard in the family department with his parents dying. At least he had Billy, it reminds me of Sirius to Harry.

"Here you go," Billy said setting down a butterbeer in front of each of us. 

"Thanks," Connor said trying to set down money. 

"No, it's on me. Spend it on the pretty lady," he said winking at me and walking away. I couldn't help but let a blush flush my cheeks. Connor rolled his eyes playfully at Billy and put the money back into his wallet. Connor told me about his stories with Billy while we finished off our butterbeers. Once we were done we left the Three Broomsticks and started walking again hand in hand down the street. 

A/N: Hey guys sorry to cut this one short in a bad spot, but I had to go to sleep so I stopped here, but I wanted to get it posted. I'm done with surgery which means I will update more often! I am on the couch for a week with my laptop! Yay!

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Consequences

"What's your favorite kind of ice-cream?" Connor asked as we walked down the paved road. Seeing as it was now around ten in the morning, more people were walking around Hogsmead. Very few students though were around seeing as classes were going on.

"Hm… I would have to say strawberry," I decided. "What about you?" I asked.

"Something chocolaty." He said.

"I could go for some ice cream right now," I said. I tried to hint on my new craving for creamy strawberry ice cream. I batted my eyelashes at him teasingly. He laughed deeply.

"Well I could go for some ice cream too. And Billy told me they opened a new ice cream parlor a little ways away from the Black Lake."

"Yay!" I squealed and jumped excitedly. "Ok let's go!" I said skipping quickly and tugging him by the hand behind me. He chuckled and fallowed behind me.

"So how does it feel to be skipping school Mrs. Granger?" Connor asked with his charming smile.

"Well, it could be better…" I said sarcastically. He rolled his eyes. "'I'm just joking for Merlin's sake," I said playfully pushing him. "This is the most fun I have had in a long time," I said blushing. I couldn't believe I just told him that! I was having a great time though. He was so polite, and charming! No girl could resist him. We got to the end of the road where there was a small red and white store. Helga's Magical Cream was in flashing ink letters.

"Here we are," Connor said opening the door.

"Thanks," I said walking in to the small, cute parlor. The room was tiled Red and white and there were a few tables and a long counter. Behind the counter on the wall were buckets of sweets and ice boxes of flavors of ice cream.

"Hi what can I get for you?" a young, pretty lady said to Connor, coming out of the door in the back room.

"Hi, can I have a double chocolate ice cream cone?" he asked. "And a strawberry ice cream cone." He said smiling at me. Score. Strawberry ice cream!

"Yeah sure love," she said winking at Connor. Connor chuckled but squeezed my hand tighter. I glared at the cashier. Oh she better not be getting sweet on Connor. I looked at Connor, but he didn't even look at her. He was looking down at me with his cute smile. The women finally looked at me and then down to our linked hands. Her face fell, but then she put on a forced smile at me. I did as well. Yeah that's right, he's MINE. I liked the thought of that. Conner and me being together. It made my stomach tingle in excitement. With a flick of the women's hand, the cones filled themselves with ice cream and they floated over to our hands. Connor paid the women the total form his wallet.

"If there is ANYTHING you need, let me know." She said directly to Connor.

"Ok," Connor said giving her an odd look. I held back a laugh. Was he that clueless? I pulled myself closer to Connor and gave the women a smug look. Connor opened the door for me and we left the petite shop.

"Thanks for the ice cream," I said cheerfully. I licked the top of my ice-cream to get rewarded by its sweet creamy taste.

"This is really good," I said in between licks as we walked down the road to the Black Lake.

"Want to try chocolate?" he asked taking a lick and then holding his cone out to me.

"Ew it has boy cooties," I mocked with disgust. I started laughing and held out my strawberry cone. "Only if you try strawberry," I said.

"Deal," he said.

"Only a small bite though," I said pulling it away from his mouth. "I'm watching you," I said with a fake concentration on his every move. He laughed.

"Ok," he said and took a huge bite out of my strawberry cone while I took a small lick from his chocolate cone.

"Connor!" I mock gasped looking at my half eaten ice cream cone. He tried to laugh with his mouth full of ice cream.

"Wawweerry wis wery good," He said through a mouth full of ice cream. I playfully slapped his arm and stole his chocolate ice cream. I handed him the strawberry and ran by the edge of the lake and took a seat under a tree beside the water. I took another lick of his chocolate ice cream. I glanced around the tree mischievously. That's what he gets for stealing my ice cream!

"I didn't think of you as a chocolate type of girl," He said sneaking up behind me. I jumped and let out a giggle. He took a seat next to me.

"I heard chocolate is bad for your health." I said. On very few occasions I ate chocolate. From the books I have read on health, chocolate was very frowned upon. Unfortunately chocolate is too amazing for me to leave alone! And I should be ale to let loose every once in a while, and since I was with Connor it seemed to be the perfect time.

"Everyone deserves chocolate," Connor said.

"I agree," I said with a giggle. Yes chocolate was now my favorite food of all time. Screw health, it was too amazing!

"Hermione I had a really great time today," Connor said, he was looking me directly in the eyes. Oh no. No No No No No, don't end this! I'm having such a good time! I don't want to go back! Maybe he is going to tell me he had a great time and then add in that despised BUT… and that is where he is going to break it off. Maybe I should say something?

"I did too," I squeaked out. Great Hermione, way to stay calm.

"So I was wondering," he said. Oh no, here it comes. Prepare yourself for the worst. "If you wanted to be my girlfriend?" he finished. My heart nearly stopped. G-G-G-G-Girlfriend?? YES! YES! YES! YES!

"I would love to!" I said trying to stay as calm as possible. I was failing miserably though.

"Good, because I really like you Hermione," He said. He showed off his most charming smile.

"Well I like you a lot too," I said, biting my lip. I saw Conner start to lean towards me. My heart screamed to escape its chamber. Is he going to kiss me!? Stay calm Hermione. I couldn't let myself freak out… even though I was about to kiss the most gorgeous and amazing guy at Hogwarts! His lips met mine and I felt my passion explode. A memory flashed before me as his lips moved with mine. I remembered the short kiss with Malfoy the night before. I remembered Malfoy's hard, urgent lips on top of mine. Conner's were soft, and smooth, and gentle. I am on a date with Conner, why am I thinking of malfoy?! I tried my hardest to push the thoughts of Malfoy away from me. Connor pulled away to my dismay. I heard the faint ring of the clock tower.

"Is that the bell for class?" Connor asked.

"Bloody hell," I said getting up quickly. I was only planning to miss potions and my break class!

"We should probably go," Connor said getting up as well. Luckily we were only a few minutes walk away from the school. Connor grabbed my hand and pulled me with him up to the path.

"Well that was fun. Lets do it again sometime!" I said while we ran up the path. We were almost to Hogwarts.

"Yea, I'm up for anything," he said winking. I giggled and pulled open the large Hogwarts doors. I opened the doors and was about to run in when someone blocked my path. Professor McGonagall was standing with her arms across her chest and Malfoy standing smugly next to her.

"Mrs. Granger, my office, NOW." She said sternly. Like I said before: I love the thrill of breaking the rules, but I hate the consequences.

A/N: Hey guys! Chapter was updated right away, because I am still on the couch:' [. Did you guys like it?

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Close to Civil

I fallowed closely behind professor McGonagall. She had sent Connor off to his dormitory with a warning. Malfoy was walking along side her. I couldn't believe that ferret! What had he told Professor McGonagall? She obviously did not look pleased. She muttered the password to the gargoyle in front of her office and the spiral staircase opened.

"Take a seat Mrs. Granger and ," she said sternly. I obeyed and glared at Malfoy.

"Wait. Why do I need to take a seat?" he asked confused.

"Because, , you are in trouble as well." She said. Her face was hard, with no humor. "Take a seat," malfoy fallowed her instructions.

"I am very disappointed in both of you," McGonagall said from her desk.

"Both of your behaviors as of late have been out of hand." She said looking at both me and Malfoy. "The head boy and girl are supposed to be a team. You are also supposed to be role models. "She sighed. "I warned both of you at the beginning of the year that if you did not fallow the rules, your titles could be jeopardized. I would consider skipping class," she said looking to me, "and breaking the dormitory rules," she said looking to Malfoy, "are serious problems." Malfoy turned to glare at me. "It wasn't Miss. Granger who told me of your rule breaking," she said looking over her glasses at Malfoy. I crossed my arms and put on a smirk of my own. That would have been a good idea…

"I'm very sorry Professor. I was completely out of line," I told McGonagall. Maybe begging for forgiveness would get me off the hook. The thought of getting on my hands and knees came to mind.

"I assure you this will not be forgotten Miss Granger. But I have decided to let you off with a strong warning. Next time you are being stripped of your head position. Same to you Mr. Malfoy. "She said.

"Thank you so much professor! I promise it will never happen again," I said relieved. I felt a huge weight life from my shoulders. Yes! No punishment! I looked over to Malfoy haughtily. He rolled his eyes.

"You two are dismissed." She said. I nodded and got up, as did Malfoy. We both silently left the room.

"I can't believe you told her I was skipping class!" I yelled at him once we were in a corridor far enough away from her office. He smirked.

"I couldn't let you and Garlander have **too** much fun." He said with a smirk.

"Do you have a problem with me being with Connor?" I asked loudly. A weird expression came over his face. He looked away from me quickly and I thought I saw a slight blush arise on his cheeks. He masked it with his stone emotionless face.

"Why would I care about some mudblood," he spat. He ran a hand through his blonde locks quickly. His blonde locks… they should be black! EW, he hasn't taken a shower yet. That's gross. I wonder if Cecillia liked her little surprise. I mentally chuckled to myself.

"I wouldn't expect you too." I said. "You 'care' about whores like Cecilia," I said with a short chuckle. He glared at me.

"I don't care about her," he said with a humorless laugh. "She isn't good for anything besides a shag here and there, I could care less. She was just a_ little_ upset though about your stunt. I know it was you who cut her hair off,"

I felt suddenly shocked. I had always thought Malfoy was the type of person to use women, but for him to admit it? I was in disgust. I almost pitied Cecilia for letting him walk over her. From that moment I promised myself I would never let someone use me like Malfoy.

"That's just like you. Use people that you don't even want and then throw them aside." I said shaking my head in disappointment. For some reason I had a sliver of hope that he was different than how people made him out to be. But I was wrong.

"You don't know anything about me," he said looking me strait in the eyes angrily. His eyes flickered with flames. "And you don't know anything about what I want," he seethed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked. He paused and then brushed the subject away with his hand.

"Never mind. You won't understand." He muttered, walking faster. I matched his pace.

"You are making absolutely no sense," I said. "What do you want?"

"Just forget it, alright?" he yelled turning around.

"Alright, alright. I'm just trying to make sense out of you, calm down." I said. Why was he getting so angry? I was just trying to understand his bizarre words.

"Just stop trying to understand what I thinking. I don't even know." He said quietly. He left my side and walked down the corridor away from me. Wow, I think that was the most civil conversation we have had to this day, and still it wasn't pleasant. It was just confusing.

I groaned and stomped the other way. Malfoy was making absolutely no sense once again.

A/N: I know this is really short too :/ If ya'll have ideas that would help me out a ton. Feel free to share. I do have some twist and turns on my mind, but I love options:] Also, I have been really upset lately so I wrote a one shot called Lost London Love. After I wrote it out, I feel a lot better so I hope I will be in a mood to write soon. But check that one out in the meantime!

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	20. Chapter 20

_Chapter 20: Butterflies_

_My week went by in a flash after my date with Connor. It was only the fourth week of school and I was already overloaded with homework. The stack was up to my ears! Snape had not given me any moments to rest once he heard the news of my skipping. That was just Snape though; I could handle whatever he threw at me… I think. _

_Connor was… amazing. Time seemed to fly by when I was with him. Whether we were taking a stroll around the grounds or just snuggling up in front of the fire, I cherished every moment with him. I had never felt this way about any boy before. Sure I went out with Victor in forth year, but I didn't see him as anything more than a date for the Yule Ball. I also had a small crush on Ron from 1__st__ through 6__th__ year, but we were never in a relationship past friendship because he had a twist in his knickers and was too lazy to ask me to do anything. _

_Astronomy class dragged on throughout the day. Malfoy mostly kept to himself, sending a few rude comments here and there. Surprisingly, he had found out about the pimple soap before he got a chance to use it. I cursed myself for not disguising it better. But thankfully he did not find out about the hair dye in time. I thought of the moment as I sat in bed._

** Earlier that week**

I was in the great hall the morning after my date for breakfast. I was just laughing at a funny joke from Ron when Ginny nudges me.

"Hermione! Look who just walked in!" she said gesturing towards the door of the Great Hall. I turned around and gasped. I turned around to see Draco Malfoy walking quickly to the Slytherin table. He ran a hand through his disheveled sharpie back and sat down quickly in the center of the Slytherin table. Pansy ran her fingers through his hair, draping herself over him. She saw a look of surprise on his face, but then he pulled her closer onto his lap. I watched him with envious eyes. Wait… did I just say envious? Yes, I had just admitted to myself that I was envious of Draco Malfoy. Why on earth I would be envious was beyond me at the moment. But then I looked around the hall to see the majority of the girls in the hall whispering with each other, their eyes flickering to the Slytherin table with hungry eyes. I could not blame them though. The darker hair fell into his stormy grey eyes, radiating a mysterious feeling about him. It lured you in, it was sexy…

I think I have lost my mind.

As if Malfoy could read my mind his eyes moved to mine. I felt my breath get caught in my throat. He shot me a smirk as Pansy pushed herself closer to him, practically sitting on his lap. He ran another hand through his hair and I turned back around to face the Gryffindor table with a slight blush on my cheeks.

**

_I soon fell into a deep slumber. But Malfoy did not stray far from my mind. I had the same dream as every night since the first year of school. It was the dream that had been in the crystal ball during divination. My mind ached to see how my dream ended, but once again I woke before I could see what was in Malfoy's arms. Once I was awake I tried to go back to sleep as usual but I had slumped out of bed that morning soon after._

_After getting out of bed I ran a hand through my messy hair and went downstairs in search of my savior: The oh so wonderful coffee. I was in the mood for a black steaming cup to satisfy my needs. Once I descended the stairs I went to the small, but quant kitchen. With a lick of my wand coffee was dripping into the pot. A few seconds later I had a full mug of black coffee. It was just how I liked it, strong and dark. I took a sip, letting its warmth fuel my body. I heard a wolf whistle behind me. I whipped around immediately._

"_Hello Granger!" he said with a hungry look in his eyes and a smirk plastered on his face. I looked down to see I was only wearing a torn up t-shirt, and my knickers. I felt as if I was naked._

"_Can it Malfoy," I said. I couldn't help but let a small blush flutter my cheeks. This blush was not just because of my much too revealing attire, but because of Mlalfoy's clothing. He was in his green plaid boxers… and nothing else. I tried to control my eyes from wandering down his _amazing_ body. It was more difficult than I had hoped it would be. _

"_Don't let Garlander catch you looking at me like that. You might be single again." He said smugly. "And what would we do about that?" he said stepping closer. My breath caught in my throat. _

"_Don't let Connor catch you talking like that, or you might be headless," I retaliated. That might be true. Connor was FAR from afraid of Malfoy. He wouldn't hesitate to decapitate him if he laid a finger on me. _

"_And how would he find out?" Malfoy said stepping closer. I was now backed closer into the wall. I felt Malfoy edging closer to me. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered profusely. His lips were only inches away from mine and edging closer. I felt frozen on the spot._

_There was a screech of an owl and Malfoy pulled away from me as the owl landed right beside me. The screech pulled me out of the moment and I snapped back into reality. It seemed it did the same for Malfoy. He straitened up immediately stepping away from me. For some reason, I felt a smidge of resent that he pulled away. I found it hard to speak as I looked into his grey eyes. They were softer than usual. The barrier of his stormy eyes seemed to clear and let a speck of light show through. He broke the eye contact and I cleared my throat seeing as it was hard for me to breath, let alone speak. _

"_Um… it's for me," I croaked out. He nodded and moved past me without a word to the kitchen. I took the note from the bird and unraveled it. _

_**Good morning love. I was wondering if you were in the mood to go on a walk after lunch. **_

_**Connor**_

_I sighed rolling the parchment back up. What was I thinking almost kissing Malfoy? I had a boyfriend! No, I had a loyal, kind, gorgeous, caring WONDERFUL boyfriend. _

_But unfortunately I knew that I could not see Connor after lunch. I had a meeting with Malfoy. Or a 'date' as he told Connor earlier this week. We had to start planning for the ball, seeing as it was a month away. I am guessing that Malfoy did not remember._

"_We are planning the ball today after lunch." I told Malfoy. I turned around to see him fixing himself a cup of coffee. _

"_I know," he said not looking up from his coffee. There was an awkward silence. I didn't think he would remember, let alone the time. I nodded and without a word I scribbled down a reply to Connor telling him I was unable to go. I left out the fact that I was planning the dance with Malfoy. I didn't think it was something he needed to know. What he doesn't know won't hurt him…._

_I then left the kitchen, escaping the awkward tension. This is going to be a LONG day._

_A/N: Hey I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It is a somewhat change with Draco/Hermione. I will most likely not be posting a chapter for a week or so. Now before you get mad, I will be editing my story, seeing as it is chapter 20. [What I am seeing as about 4/7 of the way through my story]_

_Now, I have a bone to pick with my readers. I have 2,000 hits and TWO reviews. That is pitiful. I have this story on and I have 8,000 hits and nearly 150 reviews. I am seriously thinking about taking this of fanfiction central if this is how readers treat their authors. _

_Slitherinlove_


	21. Chapter 21

_Chapter 21: Twisted Wands_

_I sat on the common room couch tapping my foot profusely. I checked my watch and sighed. He was twenty minutes late. I once again reorganized the parchment in front of me regarding the Christmas Ball. _

_After five minutes passed I groaned and pulled myself from the couch. Malfoy was a dead man. He said he was going to be here to plan the ball during lunch! I sighed. What was I thinking; of course Malfoy would blow me off. _

_I pushed the portrait open harshly and stomped my way down to the Great Hall. Malfoy was going to plan this ball with me whether or not he wanted to! I pushed open the great hall doors and looked over to the Gryffindor table. I waved to Harry, Ginny and Ron, but then walked to the other side of the Hall. They gave me confused looks, which I ignored. I quickly made my way to the Slytherin table, ignoring the glares from the prejudice house. I stomped up behind Malfoy. Pansy had draped herself over him, and on the other side of Pansy was Blaise Zabini. _

"_What are you doing here mudblood," Pansy sneered. Malfoy pushed Pansy off of him to her despair and turned around to look at me. His face was a cold, emotionless brick. A perfectly chiseled brick if I must say…. I mentally slapped myself. Snap out of it! He just blew you off! And he is nothing but an irresponsible, annoying ferret! I shrugged off Pansy's comment and caught Malfoy's eyes._

"_Get up. You were supposed to meet me half an hour ago to plan the ball." I said looking at him directly, trying to block out the glares of the students surrounding me. Pansy got up from Draco's side. _

"_Well this has been _pleasant _and all," She said sarcastically." But I have better places to be than talking to a mudblood." My eyes snapped to her angrily. _

"_Well I have better things to do than be oinked at by a fat pig. Aren't we all just so busy!" I said. Pansy's face scrunched u in anger, only supporting my pig theory more. There was a small snort from Blaise, and Draco. Pansy glared at them and then stomped out of the room in a fit. I turned back to Malfoy._

"_Although this is __**SO **__much fun, we need to plan the ball." I said to Malfoy again. _

"_What if I don't want to?" he asked with raised eyebrows. So he thought he was tricky now? _

"_Well then," I said taking a seat in between Malfoy and Blaise and crossing my arms across my chest. "I am going to wait here, "There were a few gasps from the surrounding Slytherins. I looked to Malfoy, and he put on a slow smirk. _

"_Have it your way," He said taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. There was a shimmer of something in his eyes I could not decipher. _

"_I will," I said not tearing my eyes from him, then a plate appereared in front of me. I looked to the teachers to see professor McGonagall with a smile on her face. She nodded at me, and I nodded back. _

_*_

_In time, the whispers slowed and I had something to eat. The Slytherins did not say a word to me. That of which I did not mind the least. It was time I got some work done though, seeing as Malfoy was not up to it. I finally looked over to the Gryffindor table to see a very confused harry, and Ron. But I noticed right away, that there were a pair of eyes burning into me. I caught Connors gaze. There was a hurt and then angry look in them. I gave him an apologetic look, but he looked away angrily back to his plate. I sighed and brushed off Connor's feelings. He was too protective, I was a big girl, and I could handle myself. _

"_So, you're Zabini, right?" I asked the boy next to me. He turned to me with a confused look over his features. The boy was quite tall, almost taller than Ron. He had bronzed skin and midnight black hair hanging over his dark blue eyes. I noticed the match between his hair and Malfoy's new color. I smirked inwardly. _

"_Yeah that's me. What's it to you?" he asked. I was surprised that there was not a 'mudblood' or 'dirty Gryffindor' thrown into the sentence. _

"_You are the Slytherin prefect. Correct? What do you think of the ball?" I asked. I felt Malfoy straighten up behind me, seeing as I was having a normal conversation with a Slytherin, particularly his friend. _

"_Um…" he looked a little confused to see I was talking to him. "I don't think it's a bad idea, as long as you get a good band." He said. "And firewisky…" he said with a smirk. I laughed._

"_I will try my hardest to get firewisky there, but I don't think it will be approved by the staff." I said. He shrugged._

"_That's why you don't ask them…" he whispered. I giggled. Of course all the Slytherins wanted whisky. I wouldn't mind myself…_

"_As for the band, I happen to know The Twisted Wands." I said with a shrug. That was one fact not many people knew about me, including Harry and Ron. _

"_No way!" he said. "How'd you meet them?" he asked excitedly. I now had a few of the other Slytherins attention. _

"_Well-"I said but was rudely cut off by Malfoy. _

"_You know the Twisted Wands? Yeah right," Malfoy said behind me with a snort. "There is no way in hell that you: mudblood Granger: could know the most famous wizarding band of all time." He said with a laugh. The rest of the Slytherins seemed to agree with him. _

"_Yeah, that's probably just a load of toad strool." A Slytherin seventh year girl said across from me. Millicent, I believe is her name. I really did know the Twisted Wands. Victor introduced them last summer, when I visited him. I looked to Malfoy. He was smugly soaking in me running out of ideas. It was time that I got the Slytherins on my side. Nothing would piss him off more than that. _

"_Does anyone have a parchment and pen?" I asked. "I haven't spoken with The Twisted Wands in weeks. They have a concert this weekend you know." I said. As a matter of fact, they promised me I could get tickets whenever I wanted. All I had to do was ask. Millicent pulled out a parchment and pen and handed it to me curiously. I read what I was writing out loud. _

_**Dear Thomas,**_

_**I was wondering if me and a few friends of mine could come and see your concert this weekend. I would appreciate it so much!**_

_**Yours truly,**_

_**Hermione**_

_I folded it into a triangle and muttered a spell. It folded itself into a bird and came alive. _

"_Go to the house of The Twisted Wands and give yourself to Thomas," I said. The paper bird nodded and zoomed out of the room faster than a snitch. I looked up at the Slytherins. "They don't accept owls." I said. "Thomas told me this was the only way to reach him." I smirked at the breathless girls._

"_You really know Thomas Gwenthen?! The lead singer of Twisted Wands!" Millicent's friend squealed beside her. I nodded. In a few seconds a paper bird returned to me. There were gasps around the table as I opened it. All eyes around me were focused on the bird as it spoke. _

"_**Hermione my drear! I have not seen you in ages! Of course you may come to the concert! Be sure to stay for the after party. See you there, love!" **__The bird said. It was the voice of Thomas himself. The bird proceeded to rip itself up as the Slytherins stared in shock. _

"_Oh Merlin!" Millicent squealed. "You are amazing Hermione!" the girl squealed in excitement. I looked over to see Malfoy's jaw drop. Apparently he noticed as well as me how all of the girls were enviously watching me, and how they called me Hermione. _

"_I don't see any passes." Malfoy finally said. He folded his arms across his chest. _

"_Just give them a minute," I said. Soon enough five passes appeared in front of me reading V.I.P. There were gasps all around and sequels from the girls. I saw Malfoy's face light up in fury. He knew exactly what I was doing. _

"_So, Millicent, I know that we don't talk much but you seem nice. I was thinking we could get to know each other better at the concert?" I said. She nodded her head quickly and screamed in excitement. _

"_You are the best Hermione!" she squealed. The rest of the hall looked up to see what the commotion was all about. She ran out of the hall in excitement, screaming to all that she had a pass. I looked at Millicent's friend Cecilia noticed the spot in her hair was fixed, and I did still feel bad about her hair. I was mad with Malfoy, not her. _

"_Cecilia, I am sorry about what happened to your hair." I apologized. I made sure to keep the passes in view. _

"_Oh it's all in the past, and it's fixed! No worries!" she said eyeing the passes hungrily. _

"_Well here," I said handing her a pass. The rest of the girls screamed as another pass was gone. "I hope this will make up for it." She squealed in excitement and jumped across the table to give me a hug. I was surprised but accepted it. I now had two passes left. And I knew what would piss Malfoy off the most. _

"_Blaise. I was wondering if you wanted to go too." He looked stunned._

"_Yes! A V.I.P to Twisted Wands?! Hell yes!" I handed him the pass as well. I then looked to Draco. His eyes were wide. _

"_That's all I am giving out," I said with a smile. "Thanks SO much for letting me sit with you today," I whispered. I then got up from the table. _

"_I hope to see you in the Common room during dinner." I said. "I think we need to plan this ball." I said with a smirk. _

"_Fine," he huffed out. I smirked and left the Hall, leaving behind a group of screaming girls over Cecilia's pass. _

_A/N: So, Hermione is playing dirty! Ha-ha. So you are probably thinking this is random, but she did this to befriend the Slytherins, because that is all Draco has. _

_Also, I decided to not do the editing because most people wanted a new chapter instead. I'll edit at the end I guess._

_**Please review!**_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Butterbeers & Pumpkin Pasties

"I thought trying to buy friendship was wrong, mother," Rose said eyeing her mother playfully.

"Yes Rose, you should never try to buy your friends. The friendship will only last as long as the bribe." The old lady said with chuckle.

"Then why did you bribe Cecilia, Millicent, and Blaise Zabini with those passes to the Twisted Wands?" Rose asked her mother. Rose let out a sigh.

"At the moment I thought it was a genius plan. I was going to get all of the Slytherins on my side, using my connection to the band. That would leave Draco as the only Slytherin that hated me. I wanted to make him feel alone at first, but then I thought about it more later. Instead of trying to hurt him emotionally, I decided to completely flip my strategy around.

"And how did you do that?" Rose asked, genuinely curious. A smirk tugged at the old women's lips as her mind flooded back to that day.

"By killing him with kindness"

*****FLASHBACK****

_I was so excited to put my new scheme into action. It was the perfect plan! Making him miserable for me was like honey for a bear; it had me in a craze. This was the perfect way to make him desolate; it was torture without the consequences! I was already on bad terms with Professor Mcgonagle, and this was a perfect way to weave around the rules._

_Malfoy was supposed to meet me in the common room a little after dinner. I didn't doubt he would come, he knows I will come down to the Slytherin table if he didn't show. After class I ran to the kitchen and knocked on the door._

"_Hello mistress." A small house elf said opening the door. "How may Lowie serve you," she asked in a squeaky voice. _

"_Hello Lowie. Could you bring me a few pumpkin pasties and two butterbeers please?" I asked sweetly. The house elf had a astound look on her face, but then nodded q2uickly and ran back to the kitchen. Unfortunately, house elves were always astound to hear a word like 'please' spoke by a wizard. The way that people treat them is absolute rubbish. Ever since I founded S.P.E.W , I had a soft spot in my heart for the obedient, hardworking creatures. Lowie came out with the contents in a bag._

"_Here you are mistress. It was a pleasure to serve you." Lowie said handing me the bag and bowing. _

"_Thank you Lowie," I replied with a smile. Lowie's eyes went wide again before she scurried behind the kitchen door, disappearing._

_I walked back to the common room and set unpacked the bag onto the coffee table. Like Lowie had said, there were half a dozen pumpkin pasties and two butterbeers. I set the snacks next to the parchment I had laid out, filled with notes for the ball. I neatly restacked the papers when I heard the portrait door open. I turned around to see Malfoy saunter in. _

"_Good afternoon Malfoy!" I said as cheerfully as I could. Malfoy stopped and looked at me suspiciously. He slowly walked to the seating area of the common room and plopped down in the sofa across from me. _

"_Hi," he said shortly. He swung his bag off his shoulder and then stopped when he noticed the Pumpkin Pasties and Butterbeer on the table in front of him. Confusion flooded across his face._

"_What's this?" he asked gesturing to the snacks. _

"_Well I felt bad for making you cut your dinner short, so I got some Pumpkin Pasties and Butterbeers from the kitchen." I said forcing the most innocent smile I could produce. The confusion on his face did not fade._

"_Um… thanks." He muttered just loud enough for me to hear. He eyed the butterbeer and then picked it up, popping off the top. He observed the liquid before taking a small sip. _

"_Wow I am surprised it isn't poison," he said taking another sip more trusting._

"_Oh it is," I said with a pause. In an instant he yanked the bottle away from his lips. "I'm just kidding!" I said with a playful laugh. He nodded, but set the butterbeer down cautiously anyways. Wow the look on his face is priceless. He has no clue what hit him. _

"_Oh I have something for you! I almost forgot, silly me." I said light heartedly. I rummaged through my bad. _

"_If you take out one of those Weasly Products I swear to Merlin-" _

"_Oh here it is." I said pulling out a purple V.I.P pass to the Twisted Wands. His jaw dropped, and my smile grew to a devious smirk. I quickly covered it back up with a grin. "Here," I said holding it out for him to take. "I want you to go with me and the other Slytherins. They are __**your **__friends after all." He cocked an eyebrow and then slowly took the pass from my hand and observed it._

"_Do you really know the Twisted Wands?" he asked, still observing the pass with utter fascination. _

"_Oh yes we go way back," I said with a wave of my hand like it was nothing. "Victor introduced them last summer when I went to visit him. Thomas is a great lad, you will like him."_

"_This is insane Granger. I don't know what you are up to, but I'm going to find out." He said looking directly into my eyes. "Which one of your Gryffindork friends are going?" he asked. I wanted to punch his face in like I did in third year. The dim-witted name 'Gryffindorks' was a pet peeve of mine. I reminded myself to stay calm and put on a smile for the sake of my plan. _

_Now that I thought about it, I had not asked any of my Gryffindor friends to go. I was in such a rush giving out passes that I forgot to give a few to my friends. I was going to be at a concert with five Slytherins… alone. What have I gotten myself into?_

"_None," I said. "Just me and the Slytherins." I said with a forced smile. He raised an eyebrow. _

"_Not even Garlander?" _

"_I don't think he would want to go." I said quickly making up an excuse off the top of my head. "And I don't think he would…approve… of me going with you all, to say the least." This was most likely true; Connor was more of the protective type of guy. _

"_So you invited a load of Slytherins to a concert with backstage passes , and your boyfriend has no idea you are going along with the rest of the Gryffindors." He noted. I nodded. "What has gotten into you granger?" he asked with a sly smile creeping onto his features. _

"_Hermione," I said. This would really confuse him. Not once in my entire time at Hogwarts has Malfoy ever called me Hermione. _

"_What?" he asked._

"_Hermione. I would like you to call me Hermione, __**Draco**__." I said emphasizing his name. His face dropped but then became smug again. _

"_Fine Hermione," he said, crossing his arms and leaning against the back of the couch. I noted how foreign my name was to his lips. It sounded almost… Nah. I brushed off the subject. _

"_So, Draco." I said giving him a wry smile. "Let's start planning the ball" _

_A/N: So I have another plan for Draco/Hermione and I am going to stick by his one for the remainder of the story! Yay! Lol (I always had an ending in mine though, don't worry) _

_So I am still editing earlier chapters, don't expect them posted till the end of the story. :]_

_Please Review!_

_Love always,_

_Slitherinlove 3_


	23. Chapter 23

_Chapter 23: Every couple has their fights_

_My plan went perfectly. Malfoy was in utter confusion every time I was being polite. Although I wanted to enhance my plan, we had lots of planning to do regarding the ball. We stayed locked up on the common room brainstorming ideas for hours. For some reason I didn't mind. It was almost…. Do I dare say pleasant? _

_We had finally set a date for the ball; It was the weekend before OWLS. We thought it would be the perfect time because everyone needed a night to let loose before finals, even myself. And then after the OWLS, the school would proceed to Christmas break. We thought that we would relate it closely to the Yule ball. 1__st__-4__th__ year could stay up until 10:00, and 5__th__-7__th__ could stay for another two hours after that, giving us some more time for "inner house unity." I snorted. That was apparently the occasion of this dance according to Professor McGonagall. We had decided on the music quickly. We were without a doubt going to have the Twisted Wands there as our band. We still had a few kinks to work out, but we were sure that the school would accept our ideas without a second thought. _

_It was now noon and I was in the schools library collecting information for my Potions Essay that Snape had prescribed just for me. I didn't really mind though, it was one more thing to keep me busy. I closed another book and went to an aisle in search of a more informative book on Toads Stout. _

"_Hermione there you are, I have been looking or you everywhere!" Connor yelled and embracing me in a bear hug. I had been avoiding him for the past day, for a reason I knew not. _

"_Oh, hi" I said meekly, trying to avoid his eyes. For some reason I felt betrayal on my shoulders as I spoke to him. I didn't know where it was coming fro, but then it came to me. It was the thought that I had invited Slytherins to a concert in place of him, and the fact that I blew him off so that I could visit Malfoy, even if it was school related. _

"_You won't believe the things that have been going around school lately. Lavender and Pavarti must be making things up again for the fun of it. It's silly, really," He said, as I fiddled with the books on the shelf, trying to focus on finding the book of my need._

"_Oh, what are they saying?" I asked casually. Pavarti and Lavender did have a knack for making up lies. They were the eyes and ears of the school though… some of what they say is surprisingly true. _

"_You won't believe this, but apparently a __**Gryffindor**__ was giving out passes to the Slytherins. And not just any passes, but V.I.P passes to the Twisted Wands!" He said with excitement. My heart froze and I stopped fiddling. "And guess which Gryffindor they say it is." He asked. "You!" he said with a chuckle. I faked a chuckle as well._

"_That's preposterous!" I said innocently. _

"_Yeah that's what I said. "I mean it's not like you would go to a concert, let alone know the band!" He said with another laugh. I cut my laugh off. Did he really think I was incapable of going to a concert? _

"_Excuse me?" I said putting the book back and turning to face him with my arms crossed across my chest. _

"_What?" he asked innocently. He obviously noticed the anger radiating from me. _

"_What in bloody hell does 'it's not like you would go to a concert, let alone know the band' mean?" I asked angrily. My brow was furrowed in anger as I shot Daggers at him._

"_Oh…" he paused. "It's just that you don't seem like he kind of girl that would go to a concert." He said._

"_Then what kind of girl am I, tell me Connor," I stated in anger. _

"_You just seem like a girl who enjoys books more than going out with friends." He stated like It was obvious. My anger bubbled over its pot. IS THAT ALL THAT ANYONE THOUGHT OF ME? THAT I WAS JUST A SMART, OBSESIVE BOOKWORM?!_

"_For your information, Connor." I spat his name out in disgust. "I happen to be good friends with Thomas AND I happen to go out with my friends often. I just have priorities unlike you!" I yelled. "I thought that of all people _you_ would know that!" I screamed, ignoring the 'shhh' from the angry librarian. _

"_Jeeze Hermione, don't get so angry," he said, trying to grab my arm. I yanked it away. I stomped away but then came back._

"_Oh and I AM going to the concert with the Slytherins. Maybe they will actually show me some respect unlike my boyfriend," I spat. I swiftly grabbed my books and left a gob smacked Connor alone. _

_**_

_I was fuming when I game back to the common room. I through my bag down in a rage and plopped down onto a sofa putting my feet up on the coffee table. I sighed and let my mind cool off. I might have over-reacted just a tad to Connor's assumption, but I was sick of everyone's assumptions about me. I was just a normal girl!_

"_What's twisted your wand?" Malfoy asked coming downstairs._

"_Oh nothing," I said politely, putting on a happy face and pushing Connor far from my mind. "Where are you going?" I asked._

"_I'm going to the Slytherin common room." He said grabbing his bag that was slung over te back of the couch. _

"_Oh ok," I muttered."Don't forget to meet me back at the common room for rounds tonight,Draco." I said. He sent me an odd look like he seemed to always do when I said his name, but then he nodded and was out the door. _

_a/n: ok short but its here. I hope you like it! I wrote it in the car so its short and idk if it is good. I think im going to have the concert next chapter, or the one after. what do you guys want to see happen next? _


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Speechless

I woke from a small nap and glanced at the clock. It was nearly time to meet Malfoy for rounds. I grumbled out a yawn and threw on my school cloak. I went to the linked bathroom and ran my fingers through my hair. It was a mess. It seemed that the humidity had brought it back to its old frizz ball. I groaned and looked around my bookshelf for a book of hair secrets lavender gave me for my birthday many many MANY moons ago. I finally found it dusty and untouched in the back. I blew it off and brought it to the bathroom with me, flipping through the pages.

I didn't know why I cared about my looks so much at the moment. Most days I would ignore the tangled web known as my hair. Today felt different though, I wanted to be… pretty. I wanted to be like Lavender and Ginny and make a guy look twice. Of course, Connor noticed me without me caring about my looks… I threw those thoughts from my mind. Connor was being a git.

My thoughts then wandered to Malfoy. I guess I wanted him to notice me. As much as I hated to admit it, he WAS attractive, and I liked the flutter of butterflies in my stomach when he acknowledged me as someone other than a mudblood. I stopped myself there. After all these years of him emotionally abusing me, I was going to forget it because he had a nice body and a gorgeous face? Yes… I mean NO. I was going to stick to my plan, and that's it! I walked quickly out of the room ready to go.

Moments later I ran back into the bathroom putting on a dab of makeup and primping my hair before running back out.

Malfoy was surprisingly waiting for me in the common room. He was draped over the couch reading a book.

"Hi," I said with a small smile. "Ready to go?" I asked.

"Yeah" he said getting up and putting his book on the coffee table. I examined his limited attire of a green polo and muggle jeans.

"Is that what you are wearing? " I asked. He cocked an eyebrow looking down at his clothes.

"What, I thought I looked good?" he said in surprise. I snorted.

"No, I was just saying it's going to be a bit chilly since we are patrolling the grounds as well. " I said with a smile. He thought he looked bad, HA! That was near impossible.

"Oh so I do look good," he said with a smirk playing on his lips. I rolled my eyes playfully.

"You look FINE Malfoy," I said playfully nudging his arm.

"Draco," He relied catching my glance. I almost forgot about my plan. I had to stay focused. He is starting to get ahead of me here! I smiled.

"Sorry Draco. Now let's get going," I said brushing his shoulder on my way to the portrait hole. The touch alone was enough to send a shiver down my spine.

***

We walked in silence for most of the patrolling. We stopped a few students here and there handing out detentions and deducting house points. I couldn't decide if I enjoyed this silence between us. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but it did seem to stretch on. I didn't understand why he was being so quiet. I wanted to hear his voice.

"Ok now we have to go check the grounds." I said after we finished checking the West corridors. He nodded and we walked to the Double entrance door. With a whip of Draco's wand and a mumble of the password Dumbledore had given us, the door screeched open enough for us to get outside. Although it was highly unlikely that students would be wandering around the grounds at this hour, we were unfortunately ordered to check for any possibilities.

As we walked outside a frigid gust of wind came in contact with my face. The cold autumn breeze sent shivers up my spin, announcing the change to winter was near complete. I looked to Draco, but it seemed the chilly air had no effect on him.

"Let's check the quidditch pitch, and then the forest," I said threw chattering teeth.

"Alright," He said. I nodded and we walked down the path to the pitch, our eyes darted around us for any sign of students.

We walked in silence again. We checked around the quidditch pitch and found no one. The silence was starting to agitate me. I was willing to talk to him about anything, as long as we _talked._

"Why don't you pay quidditch?" I looked up from the ground, leaving my thoughts. No one had ever asked me that before.

"I guess it doesn't interest me that much," I said with a shrug. "Why do you ask?"He gave me a shrug as well. His hands were in his pockets and he was staring ahead. Malfoy was acting odd today; it was a side I had never seen from him before. Quiet, and almost… pleasurable?

"You just seem to be involved in ever club, class, and organization out there. I wondered why not quidditch?" he said. My thoughts went back to Connor. All of my clubs and what not involved books and studying. I was not the type of girl to play quidditch apparently.

"I'm not the quidditch type. I belong in a library." I said coming to realization in my words. It was so true, even though it pained me to label myself as no more than a bookworm. He gave me a questioning glance.

"What?" I asked in response to his reaction.

"Well I thought you were the type of girl that thinks she can do anything. " He said with a shrug. "You always finish what you start no matter how hard it is, so why is that any different than quidditch."

My face read nothing but astound as I looked up to read his expression. He was staring forward again as we walked to the edge of the forbidden forest. I let Malfoy's words sink into me. He was right! I wasn't a bookworm, I was just a girl determined to succeed. I felt my self esteem higher from the incident with Connor. The one thing I didn't understand was the man behind his words. Since when did Draco Malfoy give advice to muggle borns.

"Why do you think that?" Draco asked after a while. I sighed.

"Well it's Connor. We got in a small fight the other day because he said I was the bookworm type, and that he didn't think I would ever go to a concert. It was nothing really," I said. I knew that it wasn't though. From anyone else's eyes I would have over reacted to the situation, but they didn't know how much that hurt me. All of my life I was the bookworm, the know it all, the sidekick. But I wanted to be seen as more.

"Oh" he said quietly. "Well you might be a bookworm sometimes," He said cracking a smirk. I knew that this new Malfoy could not survive his old smirk. "But you are also a great witch Hermione. And if Connor doesn't see that then he is out of his mind." A blush rose on my cheeks and y heart melted at the command of his words.

Malfoy was changing and it was by far for the better. I smiled at him and he noticed the thanks in my eyes. "Thank you. That means a lot Draco." I said.

"Just don't tell anyone I am being nice to you, or ill hex you into oblivion. " He said with his old Malfoy smirk back. Ok maybe he hadn't changed completely…. I nudged him playfully.

"My lips are sealed." I said catching his stunning grey orbs with my honey ones. He was first to look away but still smiling.

"So how are things with you and the Garlander kid? Obviously he is still a toad sucker. "He said with a childish grin at his choice of words.

"He is not a toad sucker!" I said with a gasp and a hint of a smile.

"Well that's what I see. You bloody Gryffindorks defend each other too often," he said.

"He is my boyfriend, of course I will stick up for him!" I yelled jokingly. I watched Malfoy's features as his flawless face fell slightly.

"Yes, I suppose." He said.

We walked down to the Forbidden forest when we reached the edge. Why any student would be wandering around this eerie forest was beyond me. I thought back to Harry telling me about him and Draco's experience there in first year as he watched Voldemort suck the life of a Unicorn for his own. Another shiver ran up my spine in fear. Nothing good ever came from this forest. I tried to see past the dark trees but there was limited light laminating from the moon that could reach through the trees. I heard a branch crack not too far away and I jumped closer to Draco. He emitted a deep chuckle.

"Is the Golden Girl scared?" He whispered in my ear with a spark of glee seeing a weakness of mine.

"No… it was just a reflex." I said making up a quick excuse for my actions. I peered at Malfoy. Although it was nearly pitch black, his stormed eyes glistened in the faint moonlight. He nodded at my excuse but did not remove the glee in his eyes. He stepped away from me and walked deeper into the forest.

As we walked I listened intently for any sound. I heard the crackle of autumn leaves under my feet and the calls of animals of the night. I looked back after a few minutes to see a faint light coming from the edge of the forest. We were deep within it now. I listened once again and found an odd sound. It was a hum. It was staring to get louder; I stopped in my tracks focus in on the sound. It changed to a rumble, and grew.

"What in Merlin." I said moving towards the sound, it was ringing in my ears now. I felt an arm pull me and I watched as a heard of angry Centaurs run by. Malfoy yanked me from their path and pushed my back to a tree. He pressed his body against mine and brought a finger up to his lips signaling me to shh. Even if I wanted to, I could not emit a word. His body so close to mine left me speechless and my stomach fluttering endlessly. I could feel his deep breath caress my cheek as he breathed in deeply from his quick actions. His chest heaved against mine as he took another intake of air.

When the rumbling of the centaurs faded I felt his body move slightly away from mine. I wanted to pull him back to me, and never let him leave. I observed his features as they were so close to mine, talking in every detail. His new black hair swooshed as he moved his head to check and make sure the centaurs were gone. Once he was still, the dark locks swept into his steel grey eyes, but once I looked closer I noticed there was a hint of blue to them and flecks of gold. His skin had no flaws and looked as smooth as porcelain. His skin was a sheet white, contrasting with his hair greatly, only making him look more exquisite. And his lips. They had a tint of red to them like frosting on a cake. It only made me want to taste their flavor more. Malfoy looked back to me again.

"I think they are gone," He whispered. He pulled himself away to my despair. My hands wanted to once again fell his chiseled chest as I had moments ago in the moment. "Be careful next time, I might not be here to pull you away next time." He said as his breath left onto my cheeks, taunting me.

"Wouldn't that be a shame," I smirked. He let another deep chuckle out.

"As pleasurable as this is," he said looking down my body. I blushed. "You boyfriend is probably worried sick about where you are." He said. There was no smile or smirk on his features now. I nodded acknowledging what he meant by this and moved away from his towards the forest edge. I had a boyfriend, and a loyal one at that. I didn't know how much of me was with him though…

A/N; ok so you guys wanted Hermione/Draco…tada! I hope you liked it! So sorry about the wait. I had it written but things came up :[ I'm on my laptop again on the road, so I decided to make a long chapter ^_^

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


	25. Chapter 25

_Chapter 25: The First Snow_

_I woke up the next morning shivering. I had forgotten to cast a heating spell over my room before I went to bed. I wrapped my robe tightly around me and slipped into the slippers waiting for me by the bed. They were chilly and a cool breeze took me into its choke hold. Why was it so cold?! I grabbed my wand from the bedside table and cast a heating charm on myself. I instantly felt a surge of warmth run through me like I was sipping a steaming cup of hot chocolate. _

_I was on my way to the closet to change when something caught my eye. I peered out the window and gasped. The Hogwarts grounds were laced in a blanket of snow. The sky was clear thanks to an 'after storm' day. The rays from the sun glistened off the snow, lighting up the sky. I squealed in excitement. There was something so magical about the first snow. I chuckled to myself at the irony in that. My parents had always said the first snow was magical before I became a witch. I skipped across my dormitory to the bathroom and pushed open the door to Draco's room, which was surprisingly unlocked. _

"_Draco!" I yelled bursting into the room. He snapped up from his bed immediately, his black hair scruffy, and wand at the ready. _

"_What's wrong?" he urgently asked, looking around earnestly. He threw his sheets off of him and stood. I could not help myself from letting my eyes wander down his bare chest. His wardrobe consisted of forest green boxers, and nothing else. I blushed when my eyes met back to his, seeing that he was doing the same. _

"_Nothing silly, it's the first snow!" I said excitedly. The seriousness that was in his face dropped. He sighed and plopped back down onto his bed. _

"_You are telling me that you woke me up at," He paused to glance at the clock. "Seven in the morning to tell me it was snowing?" he asked, trying to calm his anger. I nodded with a smile._

"_Yup. Isn't it beautiful?" I asked, moving towards his window to take another look at enchanting Hogwarts. He rolled his eyes._

"_I'd rather sleep than look out a window." He said lying back against his pillow, his silver silky covers at his waist. I walked over to his bed and sat down on the edge, careful not to get too close. _

"_Come downstairs with me and let's take a walk," I suggested. I didn't know where this sudden suggestion came from, but I knew that I wanted to celebrate the first snow, and with Draco Malfoy; my enemy. Or was he?_

_An odd look washed over his face. It was foreign to his features, and the closest word I could relate to it was surprise. _

"_There is no way in hell I would ever get my arse out of bed on a Sunday to walk in the middle of winter." He said snuggling closer to his sheets with a slight pout of his lips. I put on my best puppy dog face and scooted closer. He rolled his eyes playfully._

"_That won't work,' he said. My pout turned to a frown. _

"_You don't want to go on a walk with me?" I asked with a mock hurt face. He once again rolled his eyes._

"_I refuse to get out of bed, Hermione," He responded seriously, folding his arms cross his pale chest. "But you could always join me," he added with a sly smile and gesturing to the spot next to him. I laughed. That's just like the Draco Malfoy I know. _

"_Sorry Mr. Malfoy, but I am going to enjoy my first snow OUTSIDE," I said with a smile, I walked to the door and stopped in the frame, taking one last look at the gorgeous wizard in front of me. "Maybe another time," I added with a wink and left the room in a fit of giggles. I think that was the most outgoing thing I have ever done, and I liked it. The only thing that puzzled me was how much of that was true…_

_I ran down to the Gryffindor common room in hopes of seeing Ron and Harry. I didn't know if I should talk to Connor if I ran into him, but my heart was aching to speak with him. If he apologizes, I will forgive him. At the moment that was all I really wanted. Maybe I will go find him later today. The snow had me in a cheerful mood, and it seemed I was up for anything. _

_I couldn't wait to see the other Gryffindors. I felt as if I had grown apart form them since I got awarded the Head Girl position. Every year, Harry, Ron, Ginny and a few other Gryffindors celebrated the first snow at Hogwarts with an annual snowball fight against Ravenclaw. It was a tradition, and there was no way I was going to break it. When I entered the common room I saw Seamus and Neville lounging on the chairs. _

"_ello emione" Seamus said in his strong Irish accent. _

"_Hey Seamus! Hey Neville!" I said excitedly. "Are Ron and Harry up stairs?"I asked._

"_I'll go look," Neville said, getting up from the couch and going up the stairs. _

"_So are you up for the annual snowball fight 'ermione?" Seamus asked as I plopped onto the couch._

"_Of course, I am ready to smoke some Ravenclaw arse." I said with a smile. Seamus chuckled. I then saw Harry and Ron come downstairs. They were both rubbing their eyes sleepily and were still in their night robes. _

"_Ey Hermione," Harry said groggily. _

"_Hey," I replied. "I can't believe you two are still asleep!" _

"_Well its barely past seven," Ron said sleepily, plopping into a chair. _

"_But it's the first snow!" I said. They boys' face lit up and they finally woke. _

"_Jeeze hermione! Why didn't you wake us up!" harry said playfully punching my arm. I rolled my eyes._

"_You two get dressed and I will get Ginny." I said. _

_A group of seventh year Gryffindor went down to the grounds chattering excitedly when a snow ball hit Harry in the back of the head. He flinched in surprise, but then a wicked smile came to his face and he turned around. _

"_oy Potter!" We got a tradition to uphold!" A Ravenclaw boy yelled above the chatter. Behind him were a dozen or so of his housemates. Then the boy cracked a smile. _

_*_

_I threw a dozen snowballs from my wand like a loaded muggle weapon at the Ravenclaws. There were magical forts of snow built all around, and many more students came to support their house over the course of nearly an hour. I was about to throw another load when a snowball hit me in the back of the head. I turned around in search of the culprit and met eyes with hazel ones. A boy with shaggy brown hair, Gryffindor dressing, and a goofy grin on his face held them. It was Connor. I could not help but melt at the sight of__ that__ smile. It was too innocent for the wizard portraying it. _

_I then felt the snow start to melt and trickle down my neck. I jumped a little from the cold but then walked to Connor as he walked to me, and we met in the middle under a snow laced tree. _

"_Hi," I said with a sideways grin. _

"_Hi," he replied. We paused for a moment, both engulfed in our thoughts. Connor let out a sigh._

"_Hermione, listen, I was acting really dumb and-"_

'_its fine Connor, I over reacted." I said cutting him off._

"_No you were right. " Connor said. "You are the most amazing witch I have ever met." I gave him a small smile. "You are beautiful, and smart, and caring and kind and wonderful, and… a good kisser," he cheekily added. I rolled my eyes playfully. "It's just that I thought about you and Malfoy being at the concert together and I got a little, well, jealous". He said with a sigh. _

_The pit in my stomach started to churn in guilt. I hadn't done anything wrong technical, but that didn't mean I wasn't thinking about it… My mind flashed back to the night in the forbidden forest. I had never wanted anything more in my life at that moment than to kiss Draco freaking Malfoy. And it scared me how much I was slowly getting addicted to him. But Connor should NEVER know about my feelings towards him._

"_Listen, Connor." I said looking directly into his sad hazel eyes. "I am dating y__ou__ for a reason. I really like you Connor, and I will never stretch my loyalty to you." I then pulled him into a kiss. He seemed surprised at first but then caved, and gave into the kiss. I pulled away to see the goofy smile back on his face. I knew at that moment we had made up. _

"_Ah yes, you are definitely a good kisser," he said. I laughed and he grabbed my arm and pulled me up towards Hogwarts cheerfully. _

**NON FLASHBACK**

Little did I know then, that a pair of grey eyes were a storm of anger fallowing my every move.

a/n: you guys are probably really upset with me about the long wait. :[ lo siento!

Ok so my Photoshop isn't working so I have no Chap. Image or fav reader award. I'll just annonce that my favorite reader is...

Kaykay!

Thanks everyone!

Love always,

Slitherinlove 3


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